Love Struck
by Yourss Truly
Summary: Lilly has fallen for the least likely guy out there: Jackson! Does he feel the same way? Or is there someone else out there for Lilly? Is this mystery man really all he's cracked up to be? What does Jackson think about all of this? [Lackson]
1. Love Struck Lilly

**Hey everybody! I'm back with yet another story! Yeah, I know, this is definitely the shortest chapter I have ever written, but please don't knock it cuz it's short (and only 172 words) LOL! Well, anyway, the future chappies will be a lot longer, don't worry! (I find that i don't like writing short chapters. They disappoint me... But this needed to be like this, so...)**

_Dear Diary, _

_I am so excited! Later today I'm going over to Miley's house for a sleepover! Oliver's coming too, but he'll probably leave around 10 or 11. Anyway, the reason I'm excited isn't because I get to see Miley. Whoa, that sounded mean. Backtrack…Okay, yes, I'm excited to see Miley, but I'm also excited for another reason. I'll give you a hint. He's tall, has brownish, blondish hair, gorgeous eyes, and a great sense of humor. Give up? Jackson! Miley's brother! He's gonna be there too! He is so sweet! Don't tell Miley, but I have a teeny weenie crush on Jackson. But Miley CANNOT know. Who knows what it will do to our friendship? Yes, I like Jackson...alot, but Miley's my BEST FRIEND! I CANNOT ruin our friendship over some guy. Even if he is really cute! Get a grip, Lilly, he's Miley's brother. If Miley knew I liked him, she would go ballistic! Okay Lil, get a hold of yourself...again. I need to work on that._

_Sincerely, Love-Struck Lilly_

**Okay, that was chapter one. Don't worry; the rest will be a lot longer. (Like I said before) I just needed a little intro chapter. (oh, and they won't all be diary entries either. i just thoguht that was a good way to start.) Any who, this is obviously going to be a Lilly/Jackson story! I love doing the whole "people in love with each other thing". So, please review!**


	2. I Dont Like Him!

**Hey guys! Here's chapter two of my brand-new story: Love Struck**

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Lilly glanced at the clock. She was lounging on her bed, drawing "Mrs. Jackson Stewart" all over her diary. At the sight of the time, she jumped up, threw her diary on her dresser, and grabbed a sweater from the back of her ch**air**. Heading towards the door, she checked her appearance in the mirror.

_I need to look just right for…Jackson. _Just thinking about him made her giggle.

She smiled at her reflection and headed downstairs. Saying goodbye to her mom, she grabbed her bags (which she left by the door), and began the short trip to Miley's house. She sang to herself on the way.

_If we were a movie_

_You'd be the right guy_

_And I'd be the best friend_

_That you fall in love with in the end_

_We'd be laughin_

_Watchin the sunset fade to black_

_Show the names_

_Play the happy song_

_Wish I could tell you there's a kiss_

_Like something more than in my mind_

_I see it_

_You'd be amazing_

It was the first song she could think of. It wasn't her fault it was a love song… Soon she arrived at the Stewarts' home. She rang the doorbell. No answer. She leaned in to see if she could hear footsteps. Nothing. She rang it again. She was about to ring it a third time when the door opened. I'll give you one guess who was standing before her. That's right. Jackson.

"Hey, Lilly!" He said happily. She was at a loss for words. He looked so gorgeous; just standing there casually. Finally, she forced herself to say something.

"H-Hi! Uh, what's up?" She stood nervously in the doorway.

"Eh, nothing much? How about you?"

"Same here." _Play it cool, Lil. You can do this. _

"You want me to take your bags? Miley and Oliver are downstairs." He reached his hand out.

"Oh, sure! Um, thank you." She happily handed over her bags. He made room and she stepped inside. Smiling at him, she said, "They're downstairs, you said?"

"Yeah," he replied, setting her bags down by the stairs. "Well, I'll see you later, then." He gave her a half wave and she began to descend down the basement steps. She looked back to see him watching her. He blushed and turned away. She did the same, and opened the basement door. Miley and Oliver were sitting on the couch, listening to a Simple Plan CD.

"Hey guys!" she said, going over to sit next to them. "What's up?"

"Hey Lil!" Miley greeted her.

"Hey!" Oliver chimed in. "We're just chillin."

"Yeah, just kinda waitin for you, actually," Miley said, shrugging.

"Okay… Well, what do you guys wanna do?" Lilly asked, putting her arms around her two best friends. Both Miley and Oliver shrugged. "Wow, we lead interesting and exciting lives." This made all three of them laugh.

"Let's play Zombie High: The videogame!" Oliver suggested, going over to the TV set and picking up the game.

"Noooo! We play that every time!" both Miley and Lilly groaned and pelted Oliver with pillows.

"Hey!" Oliver shouted, returning fire.

This evolved into a big 'pillow war' between the three of them. Oliver stood in the open next to the TV, trying to dodge numerous pillows thrown at him. Miley and Lilly hid behind the couch, aiming pillow after pillow at their friend. After a while, Oliver learned that if he just hid the pillows behind the TV set, Miley and Lilly would soon run out of ammo and have to give up. This worked for about a second; Miley and Lilly ran up to Oliver and tackled him. Just then, Jackson opened the door and started laughing hysterically at the sight of Lilly and Miley hitting Oliver over the head with pillows over and over. At the sight of him, Lilly rose to her feet with Miley not far behind. They brushed themselves off.

"I-I just wanted to let you guys know that-that…" He could hardly make out the words, he was laughing so hard.

"Spit it out!" Miley urged.

"Sorry. I just wanted to let you guys know dinner was ready," he said, flashing Lilly a smile and walking back up the stairs.

The three friends bolted up the stairs after Jackson, almost plowing him over. Once upstairs, the four kids settled around the kitchen table and waited for Robbie to finish up. Lilly seated herself next to Jackson, purposefully brushing her leg against his as she sat down.

"Okay, kids, here we go: Pasta a la Robbie!" Robbie exclaimed, bringing over four bowls of spaghetti and meatballs.

"Oh, how come I always get the Elmo bowl?" Oliver whined, glaring at the bright red face smiling brightly back at him from the side of his bowl. Everyone laughed.

"Isn't he your favorite character?" Miley asked him playfully.

"N-no!" Oliver denied. Everyone laughed again.

"Jackson, are you staying here all night?" Lilly asked with a smile.

"Yup! And I'm gonna hang around you guys until you fall asleep!"

"Noooo! Jackson!" Miley complained.

Lilly, on the other hand, pictured Jackson hanging out with them all night. She knew she would have insane dreams about him; that's all she dreamed about anymore.

"I-It's okay. I- don't' mind," Lilly said, casting a timid glance over at Jackson.

Miley looked at her oddly. Lilly gave her the "There's nothing going on" look, but Miley quickly created a reason to get Lilly alone so they could talk.

"Oh, Lilly, you have something on your shirt!" Miley lied, getting up, and pulling Lilly towards the bathroom.

'"Umm, no I don't!" Lilly said, looking herself over before attempting to return to her seat.

"'Yes you do! It's on the back! You can't see it. Come on; let me help you get it off!" Miley said through gritted teeth, which Lilly knew meant she needed to talk.

Lilly followed her into the bathroom. Miley sat down on the ledge of the sink, and Lilly stood standing.

"Why didn't you tell me you liked Jackson?" Miley prompted.

"What?!" Lilly looked skeptical. "I do NOT like Jackson! I mean, come on, Miley, he's your brother."

"I know! I think you like him!" Miley teased.

"NO I DON'T!"

"Yes, you do!" Miley said in a sing-song voice.

"NO I DON'T! And please don't pull that singing thing!"

"Are you sure you don't like him?" Miley asked once more.

"YES!! I am 100 SURE!" Lilly shouted.

"Fine, fine! You don't like him!" Miley said. "She loves him," she whispered under breath, low enough so that Lilly couldn't hear.

They walked back into the kitchen and took their places at the table. Lilly's leg leaned against Jackson's again as she slowly slurped down her spaghetti. She kept glancing over at Jackson and caught him looking at her numerous times. When their eyes met, they would both blush and look away. At one point, Jackson reached to get a napkin and ended up resting his hand on top of hers. They both let it linger there for a moment, and then tore their hands away in sheer embarrassment.

After dinner, Jackson was told to clear the dishes. Miley and Oliver sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. Lilly said she would join them, but she decided to join Jackson instead.

"Hey," she said brightly, picking up a plate and bringing it to the sink.

"Hey! Are you going to help me or something?" Jackson asked teasingly, taking the plate and rinsing it off under water.

"No. I'm just over here because I like to look at you." As soon as she said, it, Lilly covered her mouth and avoided Jackson's eyes. He laughed. _Phew. _"I'm sorry! I-I didn't, well, I mean, I did, but I didn't mean to- I'm sorry."

"Don't sweat it. Just, uh, help me with this plate would you?"

"Sure!" She went over to the sink and grabbed a towel from the rack. She took the plate from Jackson and began to dry. "So… You were just kidding when you said you were gonna hang out with us all night, weren't you?"

"Why? You don't want me to hang out with you?" Jackson asked, facing her.

"No! I- I love hanging out with you. It's just that, Miley isn't so crazy about it…"

"Yeah, I got that impression. Wait. You love hanging out with me?"

"What?"

They went back to washing and drying.

"Before you said you love hanging out with me. Is that true?"

"Well, yeah, I mean, you're a really great guy."

"Really?" Lilly nodded. "Thanks."

"Anytime."

They finished up and Lilly helped him put the dishes away. Then she headed over to the couch and sat down next to Miley. Miley looked at her.

"Why are you hiding it?" she asked.

"Hiding what?" Lilly played dumb.

"Shhh! Guys, be quiet! This is the good part!" Oliver shouted. He was watching Zombie High.

"Oliver, you've seen this a thousand times!" Miley shouted, grabbing the remote and turning the TV off.

"HEY!" Oliver exclaimed. Miley waved her hand as if to blow the matter away.

"There are more serous matters at hand. Lilly likes Jackson!" Miley said.

"NO I DON'T!" Lilly denied again.

"What? Lilly and Jackson? No way!" Oliver said.

"I DON'T LIKE HIM!" Lilly yelled.

"Then why did you clear up with him? And why did you say you want him to hang out with us tonight? And why did you keep your hand under his for much longer than a second? Hmm?" Miley accused.

"I thought he needed help. He's a funny guy. My hand was stuck!" Lily insisted.

"A likely story…" Oliver chimed in.

"Guys, stop it! I don't like him, okay??" Lilly said with finality.

"Okay, okay…" Miley said, putting her hands up.

The rest of the night could have probably gone a bit more smoothly. Lilly took every chance she got to go downstairs and see Jackson. Miley knew she liked him, but she couldn't figure out why the heck Lilly wasn't fessing up. Oliver left around 11, and from that point, Miley go tin every comment she could about Lilly and Jackson. Lilly was getting so tired of it. She kept her cool though. She knew that if she and Miley and she got into a fight, she wouldn't be able to go over there and see Jackson. Morning came, and Lilly "accidentally" rammed into Jackson on her way to the bathroom. He just happened to be wearing nothing but his boxer shorts, which Lilly found to her liking. They both mumbled "Sorry" and kept walking.

"Are you ever going to tell me the truth?" Miley asked Lilly when she got back from the bathroom.

"I've been telling you the truth all along," Lilly lied, settling herself down in Miley's desk chair.

"Sure…"

"I HAVE!"

"Okay."

"Why don't you believe me?"

"I do!"

"No, you don't!" Lilly was getting hot. She hated lying to Miley. They were best friends.

"Lilly, just calm down," Miley commanded, getting up and giving Lilly a big hug.

_I am such a horrible friend… _Lilly thought to herself as she hugged Miley back loosely.

"Come on, let's go downstairs," Miley suggested, starting out the door. Lilly followed, forgetting her regret and switching mindsets. Now she thought something more along the lines of, _Jackson, Jackson, and Jackson! _

To Lilly's dismay, Jackson was nowhere to be seen when they reached the bottom of the steps. She shrugged unnoticeably. _Hopefully he's around somewhere. _She was still a little flushed from their encounter in the hallway.

"Mornin girls!" Robbie said cheerfully. "So, what'll it be: pancakes or…pancakes?" He was standing at the stove, flipping pancakes.

"Hmmm…Tough choice," Miley said, sitting down at the table.

"Yeah, I can't decide," Lilly played along.

"Pancakes it is!" Robbie said, not even letting the girls "choose".

He set down two plates in front of the girls; both stacked a mile high with pancakes. They dug in; shoveling huge pieces of pancake into their mouths. Lucky for Lilly, Jackson was still nowhere in sight. At about 11, Lilly said she needed to be heading home.

"My mom's making us clean our rooms today," Lilly said disappointedly. "And trim the hedges, and do the dishes, and mow the lawn." Lilly continued.

"Harsh," Miley said, grabbing Lilly's sleeping bag. Lilly took it from Miley's hand.

"You should see her during spring cleaning," she said, giving Miley the "My mom is completely insane" look. Miley laughed and nodded towards her dad, signaling he was the same way.

"See ya later, Lills!" Miley called out the door. Lilly waved behind her and headed down the block. When she got home, she quickly disappeared to her room.

"Ugh! This room is so disgusting!" Lilly whined to herself, setting her bags down on her bed. She figured she might as well get it over with, so she started cleaning. After one long hour, she could see the floor! She plopped down on her bed. She landed right on her overnight bags, and realized she hadn't yet put them away. She paced her sleeping bag in her closet and put her pillow back on her bed. She began to empty out the contents of her bag when she realized something was wrong…no, not wrong…just, different. She reached in her bag and pulled out a small white piece of paper. Unfolding it, she realized it was some sort of note. She began to read:

_Lilly, _

_I can't say too much in case someone finds this, so I'll get right to the point. I need to see you. But no one can be there. This must be kept a complete secret. Please, meet me on the beach tomorrow night at midnight. I'll be waiting. _

_TJ_

At first sight of the name, she was puzzled. But then she came to realize what "TJ" meant. She had given him this name. He was going around calling himself "The Jacksonator" and Lilly suggested shortening it to just plain old "TJ". He liked this, and then told his friends to call him TJ, which of course made Lilly happy. She smiled to herself and read the note over and over again, admiring his simple and delicate handwriting.

"Jackson," she breathed. Just then her mom entered the room, without knocking of course. "Mom!" Lilly shouted, shoving the paper behind her back.

"Oh, sorry honey. I thought you were still at Miley's. Did you have fun?" Her mother asked. She was carrying a large laundry basket full of clothes.

"Yeah. It was awesome, as usual," Lilly stroked the paper behind her back. She loved how it felt. Who would have thought something as simple as a small piece of paper could be so powerful?

"Good. Whoa! What happened here?" Mrs. Truscott had finally noticed the clean room. She smiled. "Good job, honey."

"Thanks, Mom." She really wanted her mom to leave.

"We're going to do the hedges in about a half hour." Her mother informed her, leaving a pile of clean clothes on the dresser. She exited the room without saying anything else.

"Okay!" Lilly called back. _Just enough time to read this letter and figure out _exactly_ what it means, _Lilly thought, pulling out the letter again and giving it a big kiss.

She was so happy; she started dreaming about the next night. She was coming up with all these wild possibilities. Before she got too carried away, she decided to put the letter away for safekeeping. She placed it in her top dresser drawer, under all of her underwear and bras. No one would look in there. Pushing it closed, she breathed a big sigh.

She was in love.

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**YAY! That was so much fun to write. I hope you all love it! Review!**


	3. What If He Kisses Me?

**K ppl, here is chapter number 3! i htink i will make like, every other one a diray entry where she talks about what happened in the previous chapter. yeah, that works.**

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_Dear Diary,_

_OH, MY GOD! You will never guess what happened at Miley's house! Well, actually, it was partially at my house, but whatever. Anyway, do you give up? I'll give you a hint: it has to do with the love of my life! Still stumped? Okay, I'll tell you! After I got home from Miley's, I cleaned my room. Booooring! After that, I decided to put my overnight things away. I was going through my bag and I found the best thing that has ever come across my path! It was a secret note from Jackson! I was so excited; I could hardly hold it in my hands! This is what the note said:_

Lilly,

I can't say too much in case someone finds this, so I'll get right to the point. I need to see you. But no one can be there. This must be kept a complete secret. Please, meet me on the beach tomorrow night at midnight. I'll be waiting.

TJ

_Oh my God it was so exciting to read that note! I was dying! Of course it was from him, though. I just know it. TJ, of course, means The Jacksonator; that's the nickname we decided upon together. Ahhh! How amazing is this? Now, tonight, I'm going to meet Jackson! I can**not** wait! This is going to be soooooo cool! I wonder what will happen. Oh, my God! What if he kisses me???? AHHHH!! Oh, my God, this is so exciting! I was so totally happy when I found that note! AHHH! Okay, now, I have to go pick out an outfit for tonight! I have to look my best for Jackson! OoOoOo! I totally just got chills!_

_Sincerely, Lilly (who is so totally going on a date with Jackson Stewart)_

_Oh, my God! No! Wait! What am I doing? What about my last entry? This can't happen! Stop Lilly! Stop it! You're not allowed to feel this way! WAIT A SECOND! HALT LILLY! HALT! THINK BACK! Miley was bugging me about how I "like" Jackson (so true). And she seemed okay. But, oh, I don't know. Is this okay? Maybe I should call her. No, I shouldn't. Yes, I should. Okay, yeah, I'll call her. _

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**Alright, there is the next chapter. I'll update soon! Please review!**


	4. No One Was There

**OMG everybody, I am so sorry I haven't updated in like, 8 billion years, but I was kinda busy. I would have done something yesterday, but I couldn't because I was out meeting someone so totally famous and so totally from Hannah Montana! LOL it was Cody Linley (aka Jake Ryan)! He's filming a movie close to where I live, and I went to the set and met him! AHHH! It was so cool! He is way hotter in person! (Especially when ur standing 2 inches from him!) Okay, I'm sorry. I'm ****finished. And now, the long awaited CHAPTER 4!**

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Lilly went over to her phone and dialed Miley's number. 

"Hello?" A voice was heard from the other side. It wasn't Miley.

"Umm, this is Lilly. Can I talk to Miley, please?"

"Lilly? Hey. This is Jackson."

_Oh, my God. Did he just say…Jackson?_

"Oh, hi!" She tried to be calm. "Umm…is Miley anywhere around?"

"Yeah, hold on." He seemed disappointed. Lilly shrugged it off and waited for Miley to come on.

"Lilly?" It was Miley's voice.

_Thank God._

"Hey, Miley!" Lilly said, relieved.

"Hey, what's up?" Miley asked her.

"Umm, I kinda wanted to talk to you…you know…about…something."

"Okay…"

"Umm, are you alone?" Lilly asked. She didn't want anyone (especially a certain someone) listening in on their conversation.

"Yeah. I'm in my room." Miley said uncertainly. She began to wonder where this was going. "What's going on Lilly?"

"Well, you know, we're friends, right?" Lilly needed to make sure before she launched into her big confession.

"Of course!"

"And friends tell each other everything, right?"

"Yeah…" There was question in her voice.

"Well, that's just it. I have to tell you something. But you can't get mad, okay?"

_Here we go._

"Sure, Lilly. You can tell me anything. Shoot."

"Well, I have a tiny confession to make…"

"Yes…?"

"Well, it's concerning someone in your family…" She really didn't want to have to say his name.

"Would that person be my brother by any chance?" She now knew where Lilly was going with this.

"Maybe…"

_Thanks goodness I don't have stupid friends…well, Oliver doesn't count._

"Oh, my God, Lilly, you like him!!" Miley shouted.

"Shhh! Yes, I do. I was a bit hesitant before because I didn't know how you would take it. And, well, nothing should come between us, Miley; especially not a boy. I didn't want my liking him to wreck our friendship or something."

"Oh, my gosh, Lilly, no way! I am so glad you told me! Don't worry, Lil, I think it's great that you like him!" She sounded really excited.

"So…you're not mad?"

"Mad? Of course not! Why on earth would I be mad?"

"Well, I don't know. I kinda thought, you know, since it's your brother and all…so it's not weird?" Lilly needed to make sure this was A-Okay with Miley before she went after Jackson again.

"No way! This is really, really cool, Lilly. I am quite happy for the two of you."

"Thank you, Miley. Really, this means a lot to me."

"So this is why you were acting all weird yesterday, huh?"

"Yeah…Hey Miley?" There was just one more thing to take care of.

"Mmm hmm?"

"Well, I kinda got this note from Jackson yesterday…saying how he wanted to meet me…and ummm…I was just wondering if it'd be okay if-"

"You were wondering if it'd be okay if you went and saw him, huh?"

_She's good._

"Umm…Yes?" Lilly said, questioningly.

"Lilly, haven't we already been over this? I said it'd be just fine with me if you guys saw each other – just no makin out around me, kay?"

"Okay," Lilly said, laughing. "Well, then, I guess I'll…see you later."

"Buh-bye."

Each girl hung up the phone. Lilly dropped hers back into the receiver, and went over to her dresser. She pulled open her top drawer and started rummaging through it. She finally found what she was looking for: Jackson's letter. She sat down on her bed and read through it one more time. Okay, two more times. Maybe three. She checked the time on her alarm clock. It read 12:30pm. She groaned. Another 11 and a half hours! She knew she would be counting down the minutes until midnight.

She spent most of the day reading and re-reading Jackson's letter. She took out about an hour or so to help her mom with the hedges, and the dishes, and the lawn, and the flowerbeds, and the cleaning of the entire house. When they were finished, it was about dinnertime, and her mother said she had to help with that too.

"Aww, but Mom!" Lilly whined when she was told to start the Mac n cheese. "I've been helping you clean up all day!"

"And you've been doing a wonderful job! So why stop now?" Mrs. Truscott tried to turn this situation into a positive one, but Lilly wouldn't budge.

"Because I HATE cleaning maybe?"

"Oh well!" Mrs. Truscott said in a sing-song voice. "Now get a pot and pour in the noodles!"

Lilly obeyed her mother. Besides, she knew she would be a lot happier tonight. All through dinner she could think of nothing but Jackson. She couldn't decide whether or not she was going to tell her parents about their little get together that night. After dinner, though, when she was sitting on her bed and listening to her parents screech at her little brother for who-knows-what, she decided against it. Why bother them any more than they already are?

Around 9, her brother went to bed. She stayed up in her room and watched the clock. Around 11, her parents went to bed. Only an hour left. Her mom and dad thought she had gone to bed around 10:30, but she was really sitting in her room. She had turned the lights out (all except for a small lamp on her bedside table), to make it look as if she were sleeping. The door was closed, of course. Her plan of action was to climb out of her bedroom window onto the thick branch of the growing oak tree right outside. She would then climb down the tree and sprint to the beach and fall apart in the arms of her love: Jackson.

At 11:45, she decided to leave. She didn't want to be late, but she thought being early would be just fine.

She climbed out her bedroom window, as planned, but when she saw how far down the ground was, she decided against the scenic route and took the stairs. She crept across the hallway floor, careful not to make a sound. When she reached the door, she unlocked it quickly and quietly slipped out into the cool, crisp night air. The beach wasn't far. She could easily walk there from her house. But instead of walking, she ran as fast as she could down to the place Jackson would surely be waiting for her.

When she got down there, she collapsed on the sand. She looked around for Jackson, but no one could be seen. She hastily glanced at her watch. It read 11:53. Still 7 more minutes left for him to show up. She waited and waited. Finally, after what seemed like and eternity, she checked her watch again. This time it read 12:30. She sighed and walked around the beach. No one was there. She must have cirlced the beach 20 times before she finally realized her wasn't coming.

_Why would he do this to me? How could he just NOT show up? I thought he liked me…_

Sad and alone, Lilly headed for home. She silently walked up to her room and threw herself down on her bed violently. She softly cried until she had no tears left in her. Slowly, she drifted into sleep, dreading the day to come.

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**Yes, I know, short short short! But this way I can update much faster. And Short chaps are easier to read, I think. So hahahahahaha! I win! Lol, jk. Plz review!**


	5. Dying Inside

**Yay! I'm updating again! Twice in one day! That's surprising considering the fact that I can't get my mind off Cody Linley! LOL! Well, he's drop dead gorgeous. That's all I'm sayin.**

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_Dear Diary,_

_I'm sorry if this is like, really messy, but it's kinda hard to write right now. It's about 3am, and I've been crying for an hour. I haven't gotten much sleep either. Tonight was the night I was supposed to meet Jackson, but that didn't go over too well. I went to the beach around 11:45, and waited for like, ever. After wandering around the beach hopelessly for an hour, I finally figured out that he wasn't coming, which brought me into this incredibly distressing state. I don't know if I'm going to talk to him about it, or keep quiet. This is so HORRIBLE! I am DYING inside right now! I totally broke down last night, when I got home. I started sobbing uncontrollably, much like I've been doing for the past hour. My clothes are stained with tears, and my heart is stained as well. JACKSON. Such a powerful thing to say. I love him, and I hate him. He amazes me…I can't figure out what's going on inside his head. But sometimes, he can be so…oh, how can I say this? He can be so insanely weird! Weird. Yeah, that makes sense I guess. And that's one of the main reasons I'm so unbelievably in love with him. He's so different, but that's one of the things that make him so lovable. He's unique. But I just…I can't believe he would STAND ME UP. I wonder if that's really the reason at all. Maybe he couldn't sneak away or something. I mean, that's so not Jackson to leave me a note saying to meet him and then not show up! No way. Jackson would never do that to me...to anyone. I think I'll talk to him about it tomorrow. Well, today. Anyway, I really need to get some sleep, so I'll talk to you later._

_Sincerely, A Very Confused and Sleepy and Cried-Out Lilly_

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**And finished! Plez review!**


	6. Mission Accomplished

**Me again. Okay, okay. I know this chapter took me like, 2,000,000,000,000,000 years to write, but I think it was well worth the wait! It's a good chapter! Lol. At least…I think so. **

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_Today's the day…_ Lilly thought to herself as she walked up to the Stewarts' house. She had thought of riding her skateboard, but she really didn't fee like lugging it around all day. Besides, today was special. Today was the day she and Jackson would talk to each other about their feelings. Yes, she knew how stupid that sounded, but she didn't care. She really liked this guy, and she thought he liked her too. She needed to find out the truth before she totally threw herself at a hopeless cause.

She whistled to herself as she ascended the stairs to Miley's front door. When she was on the porch, she looked around for the doorbell. Usually, she just walked right in, but she couldn't do that today. Today was different. She needed to make sure she did absolutely _everything _right. She didn't want to make some kind of fool of herself in front of Jackson.

_This isn't going to be easy. _Lilly knew she was loud, and sometimes obnoxious. She couldn't help that. Her quick remarks and quirky comments are what made her…her. She knew it would be hard, but she had to tone it down a bit for…Jackson.

After a long search, she finally found the doorbell and rang it once. After a few minutes of anxious waiting, sweating, and rehearsing lines, she heard footsteps. They were obviously headed in her direction.

When the big door swung open, she was greeted by none other than the love of her life himself, Jackson Stewart. He looked surprised to see her, which Lilly kind of expected. She was sort of surprised she was there, too.

"Umm…hi," Lilly began. She didn't really want to flat-out ask "Where were you last night?" _What if he didn't come on purpose?_

"He-hey…" Jackson stammered nervously. He didn't want to bring up the subject of last night either. He kept quiet, and the two stood in the doorway for some time, until Lilly finally spoke.

"Can I… come in?" she asked uncertainly. Jackson looked down, realizing he was standing right in her path.

"Oh, yeah…s-sorry…" He said, and, without making any eye contact, stepped out of the doorway to make room for Lilly.

She surveyed the house as she entered, before turning to look at Jackson. She caught him gazing ardently at the stairs, looking as if he desperately wanted to race up them and hide form the world. There was another long period of uncomfortable silence. Finally (with great difficulty), Jackson spoke.

"Umm…Lilly...I wanted to talk to you…about last night. The truth is, I-"

He was interrupted by Robbie and Miley, who were noisily bounding down the stairs, arguing about a Hannah Montana concert Miley was supposed to put on that night.

"Dad, I need my wig and my outfit washed! And I don't even know what songs I'm singing!" Miley complained.

"I washed your wig yesterday, and I already told you, you're not wearing that outfit! And we've already been over this! You're gonna sing _The Other Side of Me_, _The Best of Both Worlds_, and _If We Were a Movie_." Robbie threw his hands up with an exasperated sigh.

"Dad, why can't I wear it? It's a cute outfit!" Miley insisted. They had now reached the end of the staircase and were glaring at each other over the kitchen table.

"I told ya already, Miles, I don't want you wearin somethin that shows so much skin. It sets a bad example for your fans." Robbie looked like he was fed up with all of his daughter's complaining.

"But-" Miley began.

"No buts, little missy. This discussion has ended," her father asserted. Miley sighed, and for the first time since she and Robbie had come down the stairs, she realized Lilly and Jackson. They hadn't said anything during the entire argument, causing the two feuding family members to leave them completely unnoticed.

"Oh, hey Lilly," Miley said, giving her friend a cheerful smile. "Hello, Jackson." Miley looked at him menacingly. He chuckled and greeted her with a half-hearted "hello".

"Hey Miley," Lilly answered. She shot Jackson a nervous glance. _Had they heard anything? _

"Sorry I didn't notice you. My dad and I were having this stupid argument over Hannah stuff," Miley told her.

_Guess not… _Lilly looked over to Jackson, who shrugged and gave her a small smile. He then nodded curtly in her direction, as if to say "we can talk later." And with that last signal, he disappeared up the staircase.

"Lilly? Lilly?" Miley was shouting Lilly's name, trying to get her attention. Lilly painfully snapped back to reality; she wanted nothing more than to follow Jackson up to his bedroom and "just talk", but she knew she could never do that, at least not with Miley and Robbie around…

"Yeah, umm…sorry. My mind was…other places," Lilly told Miley without thinking.

Miley gave Lilly a knowing smile and took her by the hand. She led her friend up the stairs and to her room, where they sat on the big purple bed and waited. Miley waited for Lilly to speak, and Lilly waited for Miley to speak. Finally, they realized neither one of them was about to say anything and, with a newfound hate for awkward silences, they both began talking at the same time (over one another).

"Last night was horrible!" Lilly complained.

"What happened with you guys? Miley asked.

Both girls laughed and took a short pause before Lilly decided she would speak first. She took a deep breath and recollected the events of the night before; she thought about how she felt, what she was thinking, even what she was wearing. She knew Miley would want _all _the details.

"Well...last night...didn't go too well," Lilly said sadly. She looked at Miley. Miley looked just as sad as Lilly. She and Lilly were best friends, and if ever something happened to one girl, the other made it her own personal business as well.

"Oh, my gosh, Lilly, what happened?" Miley inquired.

Lilly looked down at Miley's purple bedspread. She started picking at the threads and wouldn't look up. This was harder than she thought it would be…

"Well…" Lilly finally looked up at Miley's eager face. She hated seeing Lilly this way, and she needed to find out what had happened in order to make her feel better. "You know how Jackson sent me that note?" Miley nodded. "Yeah, well, it said to meet him on the beach at midnight. And, of course, I snuck out of my house and went to the beach, but he wasn't there!"

"No way! How could he do that to you? That's so horrible!" Miley shouted.

"I don't know! I looked all around the beach for like, an hour, but he wasn't there! I couldn't find him anywhere on the whole beach! So then I went home and cried myself to sleep. It was the worst night of my life," Lilly finished. She was on the verge of tears at this point. It was painful for Lilly to talk about this recent emotional blow, and she knew Miley would help her through every minute of it.

"Oh, Lilly! You must be so heartbroken!" Miley said consolingly, giving her back a gentle rub.

"I don't know what to do now! I mean, should I talk to him about it…or what? Uggh, this is so confusing!" Lilly picked up a purple pillow and stuffed it into her face. She let out a high-pitched scream before setting it down again and giving Miley a sour look. "Love stinks."

"Tell me about it. Because of this stupid movie, I can't see Jake for 4 months!"

"Uhh…Miley? Can we focus on me please? At least Jake's admitted he likes you…"

"Oh, Lilly, it's okay. We'll get through this, don't worry. Now…what to do, what to do…" Miley wondered, stroking her chin with her fingers. Suddenly, she snapped her fingers and pointed at Lilly.

"What?" Lilly asked, eager to learn of her friend's newest idea.

"Well, you really like Jackson, right?"

"Duh," Lilly answered.

"But we're not sure if he likes you back," Miley continued.

"Yes," Lilly looked at Miley strangely.

"So, what if we found a way to make Jackson 'fess up his feelings'?" Miley asked excitedly.

"How are we gonna do that?"

"By making him jealous, of course! This way, he'll see what he's missing out on."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a second, Miley. I don't want to end up hurting his feelings! I really care about him!"

"Come on, Lilly! He totally brought it on himself! Besides, this is just like what I did with Willis! I really care about Jake! And look where we ended up!"

Lilly thought about how Miley used a boy that was supposedly a senior to make Jake Ryan jealous of her. She laughed at the thought.

"Okay, I guess I can do that. That plan was pretty 'guy-abolical', wasn't it?" Lilly laughed at her own joke.

"I thought we agreed you just wouldn't say anything…"

**

* * *

**

Jackson's POV

I can't believe this. Now Lilly's mad at me. It's not like it was my fault! I tried to be there last night! I tried! It was all Dad's fault, really. He was the one that just had to be up at midnight! I mean, seriously, what dad watches movies like Flicka? Really? Pathetic. How am I gonna make this up to Lilly? Well, there was this mornin, but of course Dad had to interfere again! He has the worst timin in the world! What else can I do to make her forgive me? Well, tellin her the truth would be a good start. She probably thinks I just stood her up. Aww, man! Well, this sucks big time. I gotta go tell her!

"Dad! Lilly and I are goin to the beach! We'll be hangin around Rico's for about two hours! See ya later!"

Was that Miley? She sounded like she was right outside my door. Wait. Did she just say they were going to the beach? Perfect! I can tell Lilly at the beach!

**

* * *

**

"Pick a guy, any guy!" Miley said to Lilly as they were walked along the beach.

They had purposefully declared their plans right outside Jackson's door. That way, he would hear them talking and follow them to their destination. At the beach, Lilly would pick a good-looking guy and make a move. Then, once Jackson showed up, she would be as flirtatious as possible and make Jackson jealous. Then he would confess his love for her and everyone would live happily ever after.

Well, that's what Miley says anyways.

"Oh, I don't know! You pick!" Lilly told her.

Miley surveyed the numerous 'hotties' on the beach. There were tons of guys here today. It was actually kind of weird. It was like they were there specifically for Lilly's plan.

"Okay…how about…him?" Miley suggested, pointing to a tall brunette. He was actually quite attractive. He had soft features and shoulder-length hair. He was sitting at a nearby table, eating from a box of French fries. Lilly nodded as she approached him. She put on a sweet smile and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey you," she said to him. He looked at her strangely.

"Umm...hi," he said awkwardly.

"I'm Lilly." She sat down next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder flirtatiously.

"Uh, I'm Todd." He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Todd," Lilly repeated, giggling.

Just then, a tall, thin, girl with sleek, black hair approached the two.

"Todd?" She said accusingly.

"Amanda! We were just talking! I swear!" Todd looked at Lilly with pleading eyes. She took the hint and rose from her seat.

"Yeah, uh, I was just asking him…if he was done with those fries! Yeah! So, I guess I'll just be taking these! Later Todd…Amanda."

Lilly took the box of fries form the table and began to walk away, but returned only to grab the single fry left in Todd's hand. Once it was in her grasp, she retreated to her on looking friend.

"Well that didn't go as planned," Miley said, looking into the crowd of guys to find another 'contestant.'

"You're tellin me. I should have just taken the fries and ran. You know, skip the whole embarrassment thing!" Lilly glared at Miley. She roughly took a fry from the box and shoved it into her mouth.

"Oh, whatever. This is just a minor setback. Come on, let's find someone else!" Miley peered at all of the guys milling around, careful to choose one with no 'prior commitments.'

Just then, Jackson arrived on the beach. He didn't have work today, but he went over to Rico's anyway and sat down on one of the stools by the bar. He looked around the beach for Miley and Lilly, but he couldn't see them.

Miley, on the other hand, had spotted Jackson immediately. She tugged on Lilly's shirt sleeve to get her attention.

"What? Did you find someone else?" Lilly asked.

Miley pointed at Jackson discreetly.

"Ahh, I see," Lilly said, realizing what she would have to do now.

A tall guy walked past them just then. He had medium-length black hair, piercing blue eyes, and a great tan. He looked over at Lilly and smiled as he passed by. He glanced back once more before slowly advancing up the hill.

"Lilly, did you see that?" Miley asked excitedly.

"What?"

"That guy was totally checking you out!"

"What guy?"

"That one right there!" Miley pointed to the guy with a shaky hand.

"Really?" Lilly smiled when she saw him.

"Yes! Go talk to him! Remember: we're trying to make Jackson jealous." Miley began pushing Lilly toward the guy.

"Okay, okay!" Lilly shoved Miley's hands away and walked over to him. He had stopped halfway up the hill to untie his shoe and then tie it again.

_Wow, _Lilly thought, _he's like, really hot._

She walked up behind him and tapped his back.

_Please don't be taken…_

"Hey," she greeted.

"Hey," He said back. He stood up and faced her with a smile that made Lilly's heart melt.

_No, _she thought firmly, _I like Jackson._

"I'm Lilly," she informed him.

"I'm Mitchel. It's nice to meet you."

_God, he's sweet._

"So… where do you go to school?" Lilly asked him.

"Oh, I haven't enrolled anywhere yet. My family just moved here from Montana."

"Oh, Montana. How interesting! Hey Mitchel, let's go sit over there." Lilly took his hand and led him over to a table closer to Jackson.

Jackson had finally spotted her and was watching her conversation with Mitchel rather intently. He was angry at himself for not having told her something earlier.

_Now she's gone and found herself someone else… _Jackson thought angrily. _I have to do something to get her back! But for now, I'll just watch and see how my competition is doin…_

"So, Mitchel, tell me about yourself," Lilly instructed, glancing over at Jackson to see if he was watching.

"Well, I like to go surfing-" Mitchel began, but he was cut off by Lilly's insanely loud laughter.

"Of course you do!" Lilly rubbed his shoulder and moved closer to him.

"Umm, yeah, I do."

"You know what, Mitchel? You are a really great guy! I mean a GREAT guy!" Lilly said loudly. Jackson was now leaning over on the stool, eager to hear what the two were talking about. "You're practically the PERFECT man!"

"Thanks, Lilly. I really like you too. Maybe we could go out sometime," Mitchel suggested, gently pulling a strand of blonde hair behind Lilly's ear.

"I would LOVE TO GO OUT WITH YOU, MITCHEL! How nice of you to ask!" Lilly practically shouted. "You don't look like the type to STAND SOMEONE UP, so I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun!"

At that last part, Jackson leaned so far over on his stool that he toppled over. He got up quickly, trying to make it look as if nothing happened. With a small, helpless look at Lilly, Jackson headed for home. Mitchel and Lilly looked over at Jackson strangely.

_Mission accomplished, _Lilly thought.

"Anyway, that's great. So, is tomorrow at eight good for you?" Mitchel asked, trying to ignore what just happened.

"Fantastic!" Lilly said enthusiastically, fluffing Mitchel's hair and giving him a sweet smile.

"She is so good at this," Miley said to a random man standing next to her. He looked at her oddly. "What? She is!" The man walked away briskly without saying a word.

**

* * *

**

"That was so great, Lilly! Jackson's totally jealous! I loved that part about not standing you up!" Miley said later that night. Lilly had called her mom earlier and asked if she could spend the night at Miley's house. Her mother complied, and brought over the few things she needed.

Now the two friends were lounging around Miley's room; Miley was sitting in her desk chair, and Lilly was sprawled out on the bed. They shared a large bowl of popcorn as they recollected the day's events.

"I know! It was so funny when he fell off his chair!" Lilly replied as she took a handful of popcorn.

"He is so totally into you, Lilly!"

"Yeah, I guess he is," Lilly said, looking at Miley's door.

"What's up, Lilly? You got what you wanted," Miley pried.

"I know, I know. And I'm happy, it's just that…" Lilly looked around the room, as if she was trying to find some means of escape.

"What is it?" Miley asked, clearly concerned. She got up from her seat on the chair and went over to her needy friend. She gave her a simple hug before she let her speak again.

"Well, you know that guy, Mitchel?" Lilly began. Miley nodded. "Well, I think I really like him."

"What?" Miley exploded. "But what about Jackson?"

"No, no, don't get me wrong. Jackson's a great guy, and I think I still have major feelings for him. But now… Now there's someone else in the picture."

"Well…who do you like more?" Miley inquired.

"I don't know…" Lilly trailed off.

"Well, you don't have to decide tonight," Miley said, as if finishing the conversation. She gave her friend a pat on the back and moved the popcorn bowl off the bed. She pulled down the covers and slipped underneath them as Lilly did the same right beside her.

"Miley," Lilly asked once the lights were off and they both lay in bed.

"Hmm?" Miley asked.

"If I say I like Mitchel more…would you be mad?"

"No, of course not."

"Okay."

"So, do you like Mitchel more?"

Lilly didn't answer.

"Lilly?"

"I think that will have to go unanswered tonight."

"Okay. You have that date with Mitchel tomorrow, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"Well, you can decide after that."

"Yeah, okay."

They were quiet for a minute.

"Miley," Lilly said again.

"Hmm?"

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"Well, without you, I never would have had the courage to make a move with Jackson, and then, I mean, if Mitchel is actually the one, then I never would have met him, and I mean, you just did so much for me and all I really wanna say-"

"You're welcome, Lilly," Miley cut her off. "Goodnight."

"Night," Lilly answered.

_I'll think about it tomorrow. What's the worst that could happen? _Lilly thought before she drifted into a deep, carefree sleep.

What Lilly didn't know was that in the next room over, Jackson was still awake. He was thinking about how stupid he was for not being there the other night. He couldn't stop thinking about her; about what he could have done to make it so that they would be together right now. If only he had been there the other night… There were so many possibilities… How could he be so stupid? In the dark shadows of his poorly-lit room, Jackson Stewart was tearing himself apart for the love of his life: Lilly Truscott.

* * *

**AND CUT! I think that was, like, my longest chapter ever! That was like, so totally fun to write! Hmm...Who will Lilly choose? Well, if you'd like to see what happens next, ya'll had better git to reviewin! Lata! **


	7. Love Hater Lilly

**Yay! Another chapter! This is just another diary entry explaining how Lilly felt throughout the previous chapter. I hope you're all enjoying these entries... (Cuz they're very easy to write...)**

_

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_

_Dear Diary,_

_Okay, so, yesterday was…amazingly confusing and fantastic and heart wrenching all at the same time. Let me start from the beginning. I was going to go over to Miley's just to talk about the previous night, and all. You know, how Jackson BROKE MY HEART! And then, of course, Jackson opened the door and there was a whole lot of awkwardness, and then he looked like he was gonna say something, but BAM! Robbie and Miley walked down the stairs just then, so he shut up and ran up to his room. That tore me apart even more, watching him disappear up the stairs. Anyway, then Miley and I went to her room and I told her about the other night and we thought up this plan to make Jackson jealous. So we went to the beach and Jackson followed us, and I flirted with this guy named Todd to make Jackson jealous. But, turns out, Todd has a girlfriend! How embarrassing was that? Then I flirted with this really hot guy named Mitchel. I had hope for love once again! He is too perfect! Like, he's sweet, and polite, and funny, and gorgeous, and everything I always dreamed my perfect match would be. But, here's the catch: Jackson. It seems like all he wants to do is ruin my life lately. First, (when I like him), he stands me up, then, (when I like someone else), he's there being jealous and making me feel bad. I honestly don't know if I like Jackson or Mitchel more. Both are sweet, and cute, and funny, and sensitive; I just- I don't know what to do. I have a date with Mitchel tomorrow (which I AM SOOOO EXCITED FOR!); maybe that'll clear things up! I hope so! Anyway, I still don't know the whole story behind Jackson not showing up two nights ago. It kinda makes me sad to think of him just NOT COMING, but then it makes me happy (yes, this makes me guilty) to think that he may not like me and I have a big chance with Mitchel. MY LIFE IS SO CONFUSING! Well, my love life, anyway. _

_Sincerely, Love-Hater Lilly_

* * *

**Done with another chapter! Please review! Tell me who you would like to see Lilly end up with: Jackson or Mitchel.**


	8. The Perfect Man

**Hey everybody! I am SOOO SORRY it took me a month to update! (am onth exactly, actually, lol) But with the holidays and everything, I was really busy with who knows what that I couldn't get any time to write! I'm so sorry! Anyway, here's the next chapter! Hope you love it!**

* * *

"Lilly! Your hair is fine! Would you stop messing with it?" Miley scolded her friend for about the umpteenth time that day. It was the day of Lilly's date with Mitchel, and Miley was getting Lilly ready. They were up in Miley's bedroom, in her Hannah Montana closet; Lilly was sitting at the vanity and Miley was standing behind her, trying, but failing, to make Lilly happy with the way she looked.

"No way! I have to look absolutely perfect! And this, my dear friend, is NOT perfect!" Lilly retorted, pointing a pale finger at her perfectly normal hair.

"It's fine, Lilly! Oliver! Please tell Lilly her hair is fine!" Miley said, glaring at Oliver, who was lounging in a nearby chair, reading an issue of Teen Magazine.

At the sound of his name, he looked up briefly and nodded. "Your hair is fine," he said, his tone matching that of Miley's. He then went back to his magazine.

"See?" Miley said, pulling Lilly's hands down, preventing her from messing with her hair once more. "It's fine!"

"But Oliver's word means nothing!" Lilly protested. "He just wants to go back to looking at pictures of Jessica Alba." She glared at Oliver, who was now holding out a fold-out poster within the magazine he had been looking at. Lilly and Miley laughed at the strange look on his face.

"What? She's hot," he said defensively.

"Whatever," Miley cut in. "Now, Lilly, are you happy with your hair? Can we please move on to make-up and wardrobe?"

Lilly looked at herself once more; she really did look good. Mitchel would be blown away. Yesterday on the beach she was totally unprepared: no make-up, no adorable outfit, no sexy hairstyle. But this time would be different. If he liked her when she was just dressed normally, what would he think of her now?

"Lilly? Are you happy with your hair? Lilly?" Lilly was snapped out of her thoughts by Miley's irritated voice. Lilly could tell she just wanted this to be done and over with.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's move on!" Lilly said. And so they moved on; Miley did Lilly's make-up and they picked out a super-trendy outfit for her to wear. When Miley announced she was finished, Lilly squealed with glee as she gazed at herself in the full-length mirror on the wall.

"So," Miley said hopefully. "Do you like it?"

Lilly surveyed herself for several minutes before squealing again and clapping her hands. "Yes," she said. "I love it! Thanks so much Miley!" She raced over to her friend and gave her a big, warm hug. At a loud, seemingly forced cough from the corner, they broke apart and looked around at Oliver, who was staring right back at them.

"What about me? I helped!" he said to Lilly, who simply laughed.

"All you did was look at pictures of Jessica Alba," Lilly said to him, which resulted in more laughter from both her and Miley. Oliver just shrugged and went back to his magazine.

"Well, whatever, Lilly, are you ready for your big date?" Miley asked, turning back to her friend.

"I think so," Lilly replied. "I don't want to blow this; Mitchel is so cool! I mean, he's the perfect guy: funny, smart, cute, and he knows exactly how to treat a girl. He's so sweet!"

At this, Oliver jumped up from his chair, tossing the magazine aside. "Whoa!" he said, throwing his hands into the air. "Girl talk! I have a feeling I'm gonna wanna leave." He headed towards the door, but before he exited through it, he crossed quickly to the chair where he had just been sitting, and, with a sideways glance at Miley and Lilly, grabbed the magazine he was reading. With another glance at his friends, he walked briskly out of the room, leaving Miley and Lilly standing there in silence. Suddenly, they burst out laughing at their friend's strangeness.

"Okay," Lilly said after their laughter had subsided. "He has some serious problems."

"I hear ya," Miley agreed. "Anyway, back to your date with Mitchel. Where is this exactly?"

"He told me to meet him on the beach at 8:00 tonight," Lilly said, proud that she had remembered every detail.

"Oh, Lilly, this is so exciting!"

"I know!" Lilly squealed, jumping up and down. She grabbed Miley's hands and they jumped together. Then Lilly began in a sing-song voice, "I'm going on a date with Mitchel, I'm going on a date with Mitchel, I love happy-dancing, I love happy-dancing!"

When they finished "happy-dancing," Lilly sighed, thinking of Mitchel and how great their date would be. "You know," she said, "I think Mitchel is really the perfect guy for me."

* * *

Later that day, Miley and Lilly were anxiously waiting in Miley's kitchen. Oliver was sitting, bored, on the couch, reading another magazine, this one pertaining to sports. It was 7:30, and Lilly was practically counting down the minutes until it was time for her date with Mitchel. Miley was watching in amusement as Lilly hopped and skipped all over the Stewarts' kitchen, singing "I'm going on a date with Mitchel; I'm going on a date with Mitchel!"

But there was one person in the Stewarts' home who wasn't quite as happy: Jackson Stewart. He sat on the couch next to Oliver, watching Lilly skip around the house. He hated every minute of it. And yet, he couldn't stay away; seeing her this happy made him feel good inside, even if her happiness sprouted from a date with someone other than himself.

Not nearly soon enough, the doorbell rang. Lilly yelped and started messing with her hair again. Miley, seeing her friend in such a state, took it upon herself to open the door. Lilly squealed with glee as Mitchel appeared in the doorway. Miley smiled at her friend's foolish grin as she held the door open for him.

Mitchel stepped fully into the house, Miley closing the door behind him, and greeted the room with a warm smile. Lilly's heart melted as Mitchel went over to her and brandished a large bouquet of flowers; they were beautiful red roses, Lilly's favorite kind of flower. Jackson looked on with immense envy.

"For you," Mitchel said, gently pushing the flowers into her trembling hands.

"Oh my gosh, they're beautiful! Thank you so much Mitchel!" Lilly said, taking the flowers graciously. She handed them to Miley, who went over to the sink and put them in a large vase. She decided Lilly could get them after her date.

"Hold on a second," Lilly said with dawning realization, "I thought you wanted me to meet you on the beach!"

Mitchel bowed his head slightly, seeming embarrassed. "Well, I did," he said softly. "But I couldn't wait to see you."

Lilly sighed. _He really is the perfect man, _she thought dreamily. "Wow," she said. "That's the most romantic thing I've ever heard." She stared into Mitchel's eyes for what seemed like an eternity, before someone in the room, most likely Jackson, cleared their throat loudly. "Oh, um, sorry," Lilly said.

"Well, then, er, should we get going?" Mitchel asked Lilly.

"Sure," Lilly answered, allowing Mitchel to take her arm and begin to lead her out the door. Lilly turned around in the doorway to see Miley give her a thumbs-up and Oliver make kissing faces. She laughed as Mitchel closed the door behind them.

"She is really something," Jackson said quietly.

"What was that, Jackson?" Oliver asked.

"Um, nothing."

* * *

Outside, the air was warm and the night was clear; it was a perfect evening. Lilly and Mitchel walked along the sidewalk hand in hand, not saying anything. Finally, Mitchel spoke.

"Um, I was- I was really glad you said yes when I asked you out yesterday, Lilly," he said, glancing sideways at her.

"Me too," Lilly said, smiling at the ground.

"I mean, I didn't think you would- since we just met and all…" he said, embarrassed.

Lilly said nothing.

"Why _did_ you say yes, anyway?" Mitchel continued.

Lilly looked up at him, startled at his question. Mitchel seemed to notice.

"Just wondering," he added. "If you don't want to say-"

"I thought you looked like a genuine kind of guy," Lilly interrupted.

"Really?" Mitchel asked, looking at her and smiling.

"Yeah, I mean, you're cute," Lilly said, resulting in a small chuckle from Mitchel. "And you were sweet," she continued, smiling. "And, I don't know, I thought we just sort of… clicked. You know?"

"Yeah, I think I do," he answered, turning to her. He started to lean in, and for a moment Lilly thought he was going to kiss her, but instead he wiped an eyelash from her face and turned away again. Lilly smiled as they continued walking. They had arrived at the beach now. "Shall we sit?" Mitchel asked politely, holding a hand out to the warm sand.

"Sure," Lilly said, taking his hand and pulling him down closer to the water. They sat down on the sand next to each other, Lilly's head on Mitchel's shoulder. "This is nice."

"Yeah, it is," Mitchel said, putting an arm around Lilly's back and pulling her closer. "So, tell me about yourself. I want to know everything."

Lilly smiled. She respected that he didn't just go right in for the intense make-out sessions and the 'boyfriend-girlfriend stuff'. She was glad he wanted to get to know her before getting serious.

"Well," she began. "My name is Lillian Grace Truscott and I am 14 years old."

Mitchel laughed. "Okay," he said. "Go on."

And so she did. She told him all about how she went to Seaview Middle School, and how she loved surfing and skateboarding, and how her best friends in the world were Miley and Oliver. She told him how Jake Ryan had once gone to her school, and how she had had a huge crush on him at one point. She told him of how he and Miley were together, but how he was off in Romania filling in for Frankie Muniz. She also told him of Amber and Ashley, the meanest girls that went to her school, and how much they loathed her and her friends. Mitchel listened intently to her long explanation of her life, occasionally rubbing her back or playing with her hair. When she was finished, she looked up at him. He was looking at her with such a look on his face; she could tell he had really been paying attention. This soothed Lilly, to know that Mitchel actually listened to her, unlike a few other people she could name.

"Wow," Mitchel said. "You have quite a life."

Lilly laughed. "Thanks. So, now you know _all_ about me, why don't you tell me a bit about you?"

"Well," he began, "my name is Mitchel Jonathon Zeltic, and I am 15 years old."

"Ooo I love your last name. Zeltic. Zeltic. Zeltic," Lilly repeated. She was thinking of how the words "Lillian Grace Zeltic" or "Lillian Truscott Zeltic" would sound. She liked it.

"Thanks," Mitchel said, laughing.

"Anytime." There was a pause. "Okay, one more: Zeltic! Okay, now I am finished. You may continue with your story," Lilly said, also laughing.

Mitchel nodded and began to reveal to her his life story. He told her he used to go to a private school where he lived in Montana, and that they had to wear a depressing uniform of green and blue plaid and white. He said he had moved because his father had gotten a new job near here, and he was okay with it; he was quite pleased to get out of those uniforms. Mitchel told Lilly of how someone famous had enrolled at his school as well: a famous singer named Sidney Antoinette.

Lilly had a few of her CDs. She was one of those singers that did mostly hip-hop music and rapping. Lilly thought she was really cool.

Mitchel continued with his story by telling Lilly that he had had a huge crush on Sidney similar to the one Lilly had had on Jake. But he said Sidney fell for another guy, leaving him heartbroken. He said he eventually forgot about her; she left for a tour several months ago.

"Aww, I'm sorry," Lilly said softly.

"It's okay. I'm sorry about Jake."

"Eh, he wasn't all that great. He was a total ego-maniac. It was kind of annoying. And besides, I have you now, so I'm good." As soon as Lilly said that, her face fell to the ground. She felt her cheeks warm up and put her hands to them to conceal the redness.

"Don't be embarrassed," Mitchel said, taking his hand and putting it to her chin. He lifted her face slowly so that she was looking at him once again. She knew she couldn't avoid his eyes for long. "I thought that was really sweet." And with that, he leaned in and kissed her. She sort of saw that coming, but it still as romantic as ever. She loved the feel of his lips on hers. She allowed herself to melt into his arms and be taken completely away. She felt like she was floating into the sky; she couldn't feel the sand beneath her any longer. It was magical and majestic…. and absolutely wonderful. She wouldn't give it up for anything.

When Mitchel pulled away, she felt a sense of sudden loss. That was the best kiss she had ever had, well, of the very few kisses she had ever received, and she didn't want it to be over. She looked at Mitchel with meaningful eyes, silently telling him how much she loved that kiss. He seemed to understand. He pulled her into a big, warm, tight hug. She allowed herself to be pressed up against him; she really didn't mind. She hugged back tightly, letting her face rest in his hair.

In Mitchel's arms, Lilly completely forgot about Jackson and all of his mixed signals. She didn't care if he liked her or not; she liked Mitchel. She really, really liked Mitchel. He was the sweetest guy she had ever met, and she wasn't going to give him up for anything. This boy was absolutely perfect. And she absolutely loved him.

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**Yay! Done! Again, terribly sorry it took me a month to update, but I hope this chapter was worth it. For all you Lilly/Jackson lovers, don't worry! Jackson will come back! But only I (and my sister, lol) know who Lilly will choose! So, please review to find out what happens next! Who knows, if I get enough reviews,. I may just update by Christmas...**


	9. Love At First Sight

**So, here's another one of Lilly's diary entries. I hope you like it. I'll get the next chapter up before school starts again! Maybe by Christmas! If I get enough reviews, that is..**

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Dear Diary, 

Okay. Fine. I'll admit it. I'm in LOVE. L-O-V-E. Love. But not with the person you would think I'm in love with. No, it's not him. It's another guy. His name… His name is a lovely name. I love it almost as much as I love the person himself. Now, for the name. MITCHEL JONATHON ZELTIC. Yes. That would be the name of the person I just spent the best night of my life with. He is definitely my very favorite person in the whole wide world. He's adorably funny, smart, cute, sweet, and I just love everything about him. I know I sound like a babbling buffoon, but I don't care. Because, well, I am a babbling buffoon. You know why? Because I'm in LOVE! Haven't we been over this already? I love Mitchel. He's everything I've ever dreamed of in a guy, and I love spending time with him. Okay, okay, you have a point: sure, I just met him yesterday. But who cares? Haven't you ever heard of love at first sight? Yes? No? Maybe so? Well that's what it was with Mitchel and I. LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT. That's right. The moment we laid eyes on each other we knew it was simply meant to be. He's everything I've ever wanted. HE'S PERFECT! And guess what else? HE KISSED ME! Yes, I know, I could hardly believe it too, and I was there! That just goes to show how few kisses I've ever had. But seriously, he is the BEST kisser I have ever met. He probably thought I was like, some kind of idiot that didn't know how to kiss a guy. I am probably the WORST kisser in history. But, surprisingly, I don't think that mattered tonight. He seemed to have enjoyed the kiss just as much as I did. And that was quite a lot. Ha ha. Well, anyway, it was pretty much the best night of my life. And, well, when I was with him, I just felt loved. I felt like I truly belonged in this world. I felt like I belonged with him. And… I kinda forgot about… That Other Guy. No, I'm not gonna say names; you know who he is. There's surely enough pages filled up in here with his name. But, I mean, when I'm in Mitchel's arms, I forgot about him. I don't know what it was. Mitchel made me forget about everything: all of my cares, my worries, my insecurities. He made me feel perfect. He made me feel wonderful. He made me feel loved. And I really, really like that feeling. Mitchel is SO PERFECT! He just seems so RIGHT. I think we just CLICKED. You know what? That Other Guy is totally out of the picture now. He doesn't matter. He's gone. Buh-Bye. Don't let the door hit you on the way out. Sorry, Other Guy, but, feelings can change. Drastically. Quickly. Spectacularly. All I know is that I love Mitchel. Period. No questions asked.

Sincerely, Mitchel's New Girlfriend, Lillian Grace Truscott

PS I am totally in love with how this sounds: Lillian Grace Zeltic or Lillian Truscott Zeltic. It's absolutely perfect! Lilly and Mitchel sittin in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes little Lilly Junior OR Mitchel Junior in a baby carriage! (sigh) I've always wondered what I would call my children when I finally had them. I'm so excited! I'm going on another date with Mitchel tomorrow night! He is so amazing!

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**Okay, well, i hope you liked that! With reviews, I shall update quite quickly! So ya'll better git to reviewin!**


	10. The Package

**Hey everybody! Sooo sorry it took me like, 2 months to update this time! LoL! SORRY!! Well, here's long-awaited Chapter 10!!**

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"How did it go? How did it go? How did it go?" Miley screeched over and over again. She was sitting next to, well, sort of laying over, her best friend, Lilly Truscott. They were at Lilly's house, the day after her date with Mitchel. Lilly had waited until now to reveal anything about the previous night with Miley; she knew Miley would be dying to know what happened, and Lilly loved holding something BIG over her head. And this wasn't just BIG, this was _HUGE. _

Truthfully, Lilly's night was absolutely amazing. Mitchel was a perfect gentleman, and she even got a kiss! Lilly thought about what Miley would say if she knew how great Mitchel was; she was the one who set Lilly up with him in the first place. Lilly suspected she would never let it go. Lilly also knew how much Miley _didn't _want her to go out with her brother, Jackson. Jackson was… out of the picture now, Lilly supposed. Sure, he had been a great little "fantasy", but even as she stepped back to look at it now, she mentally slapped herself for liking him in the first place.

"It was…" Lilly said after some time, "amazing."

Miley squealed. "I knew it!" she screamed. "I KNEW you were perfect for each other! So… What happened?! I want ALL of the juicy details!"

Lilly looked at her and couldn't help but let a short laugh escape from her lips. There they were sitting on Lilly's bed, Miley practically laying on Lilly, prodding for 4-1-1 of the previous evening, Lilly looking amused at the excitement of her friend.

"Well… we went to the beach…" Lilly began, gazing out the window, where she could plainly see the clear blue water crashing against the sandy shore.

"Yes…?" Miley prodded further.

"And we talked a lot…" Lilly continued. She looked down at Miley, who was now on her stomach with her chin in her hands, giving Lilly the impression of a four-year-old waiting to be told a story.

"About…?" Miley asked.

"About him… About me… About everything… We really got to know each other. And then…" Lilly trailed off as she arrived at the part of the story where she and Mitchel shared a passionate kiss.

Miley looked up at her expectantly. "And then what?" she asked eagerly.

"And then we…kissed," Lilly finished, looking down at Miley to see her reaction. She was staring up at her, open-mouthed, gaping helplessly for something to say.

"On the first date?" she asked finally. Lilly nodded, and Miley got up and sat Indian-style on the bed next to Lilly." Wow," she breathed. "Was he a good kisser?"

"The best!" Lilly said dreamily, remembering the feeling of his lips on hers. The thrill of reliving it again was almost too much. "I dunno how good I was though…"

"Lilly," Miley said, taking her friends hands, "he asked you out again, didn't he?" Lilly nodded. "Then he must have liked the kiss too. Now stop worrying. He probably loves you and wants to marry you and live happily ever after!"

Lilly laughed. "That'd be nice," she said. "I'm so nervous though! I mean, yesterday was… whatever at first, you know? Like, I didn't really know if it was going to work out or not. But now… Now it's for real. Now it's like… It's like…" She didn't seem to be able to find the right way to describe it, so Miley decided to help her out.

"Like love?" she supplied. Lilly's face lit up at the sound of the word.

"Yeah," she said, looking out the window again. "It's like love."

**

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**

"Girl troubles? Again?" Cooper asked Jackson as he went over to Rico's, the surf shop where Jackson worked. Jackson stood at the bar, slumped against the wall, looking positively disgruntled. He had a surly look on his face, looking as if he would attack the next person that spoke to him.

He glanced over at Cooper as he approached, but said nothing. He busied himself with something below the counter of the bar, but Cooper knew he was just stalling.

"Come on, man. You can talk to me. I'm the all-time ladies man," Cooper said, looking around him and winking at some passing girls. They giggled and ran off, whispering excitedly amongst themselves. "See?"

Jackson looked up at him, and then at the huddled girls, then went back to tinkering with something under the bar without comment.

"And I'm also your best friend," Cooper said seriously.

This made Jackson pause and slowly rise, forgetting about whatever he was doing below the counter. "It's kinda embarrassing," he said after a while.

"Jackson, man, I don't care! I won't laugh! I promise! Come on!" Cooper said, giving Jackson's arm a soft punch.

"Well… It's about... Lilly…" Jackson said slowly. At once, Cooper burst out laughing.

"Lilly?- You mean- your sister's- friend?" he managed to get out through his wild laughter. Jackson looked at him sternly, as if to say, "I thought you weren't gonna laugh?"

He straightened up immediately. "Umm... Sorry…" he said, avoiding Jackson's eyes. "So, what's the problem?"

"I don't know, Coop, I mean, one minute, she was all 'Oooo, I love Jackson!' and the next, she was all 'Ugh, that Jackson is so stupid! I love Mitchel now!' " Jackson said, doing an extremely high-pitched imitation of Lilly.

"What did you do, fool? And who's Mitchel?" Cooper asked, looking first disappointed, then confused.

"Well… I kinda didn't show up to this meeting I scheduled with her, and then sh-"

"So this IS all your fault," Cooper concluded.

"No! No, it's not like that at all!" Jackson said defensively, folding his arms and using them to prop himself up on the counter. "I mean, I wrote her this note, and stuck it in her bag, and then I tried to go meet her, but… I got caught," Jackson said, depressed, resting his face in his folded arms.

"Ha ha! Couldn't sneak out, huh? I thought you, of all people, would come up with some way outta your house," Cooper said, unimpressed.

Jackson looked up at him with raised eyebrows. "Do you want me to finish the story?"

"Yes please," Cooper said. "Continue."

"Well, I heard Miley shouting outside my bedroom door about how she and Lilly were goin to the beach, so I sorta followed em there, and Lilly was flirting with this Mitchel guy, and I was kinda eavesdroppin, and I overheard her talkin about how much she liked him, and I got really jealous, and, I dunno.. I kinda lost it from there. So she and 'Mitch' ended up goin on a date, and from what I heard of Miley's screams, it was the best date Lilly's ever had," Jackson said disappointedly.

"Aww, come on, man, you can't beat yourself up over this," Cooper said consolingly.

"I gotta get her back, man," Jackson said desperately. "I just gotta, I mean, I feel like such an idiot. DON'T say anything!" he added as Cooper opened his mouth.

"Well, how are you planning on doing that?" Cooper said after a second. "I thought she fell head over heels for this Mitchel guy."

Jackson thought about it for a second. "Wait a second; I think I have an idea."

"Sure it's not just gas?" Cooper suggested.

"Heh, heh. Funny. But no," Jackson said, faking a laugh. "Now, what if Mitchel isn't really the perfect little goody-goody that Lilly thinks he is?"

Cooper looked confused. "How would we find that out?" he asked blankly.

"By followin him! Stay with me Coop. Okay, what if we followed Mitchel around for a while, you know, get some dirt on him?" Jackson said eagerly. "Then we could expose his 'dirty little secrets' to Lilly and she would dump him and go out with me."

Cooper looked skeptical. "Well, I guess so. But what if he's not the bad boy you think he is?"

"Then we think of somethin else," Jackson said airily. "Okay, so, uh, I get off in about 10 minutes, come back here in five and we're good to go."

"Alright," Cooper said, giving the bar a tap and walking off.

**

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**

"Oh, my gosh! I am so excited! Are you excited! I am so excited!" Lilly said, bouncing up and down around Miley's closet. They were yet again in Miley's Hannah Montana closet, getting Lilly ready for her second date with Mitchel.

"Yes, Lilly, I am excited. Now will you please hold still!?" Miley said exasperatedly, trying to hold up a light pink blouse to her galloping friend.

"I'm sorry, Miley," Lilly said, coming to a halt right in front of her. "It's just- I'm so excited!" she repeated for about the hundredth time that evening.

"I got it: You're excited! Now try this on with… this skirt. And come back in and show me!" Miley said, flinging Lilly a white thick-strap tank with light pink sequins around the top and a light pink miniskirt with a small bow on one hip.

Lilly reappeared, fully dressed, in about 3 minutes. She obviously liked her appearance: She was grinning like a fool.

"Well?" Lilly asked, standing in front of Miley's full-length mirror, admiring the way she looked.

"Very nice," Miley said, smiling. She went over to her vanity and removed a black brush from one of the drawers. She went over to her blonde friend and began brushing out her long hair. "So… this Mitchel guy… he means a lot to you?"

"Yeah. He seems so… Oh, I can't even explain it! He just… He seems like he would always be there for me, no matter what. You know? Like, even if something really, really bad happened, he would be right there next to me, saying, 'Lilly, things suck, but at least I can go through it with you'. And… I love that about him," Lilly breathed.

Miley let out a sigh. "That's awesome, Lil," she said supportively. She was finished brushing Lily's hair and wheeled around so they were face-to-face. "Don't mess this up, now, okay?" she said, laughing.

"Never," Lilly said, also laughing.

**

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**

"Okay, so all we have to do is follow this guy around for a while until we see him doing something bad?" Cooper asked Jackson. They were behind a tall bush at the beach, where Jackson had spotted Mitchel buying an ice-cream cone. They had been watching him eat it for the last 10 minutes, and Cooper was already complaining.

"I'll bet it doesn't take long," Jackson said, taking out a pair of binoculars and putting them up to his eyes. He scanned the beach, resting his eyes on Mitchel, who was just polishing off the last bit of his chocolate ice-cream cone. As he got up to throw away his napkin, Jackson said, "He's on the move!" and did a sideways roll over to the cover of another bush. Cooper, throwing Jackson a 'weirded-out' look, stood up and walked the two feet over to where Jackson was now positioned.

"Well, this is interesting," Cooper said, yawning. Now Mitchel was sitting in a beach chair, reading a magazine titled _Surfers Weekly_.

"Aw, come on, Coop, it'll get good! I promise!" Jackson pleaded. Cooper shook his head, but crouched down next to Jackson, who had taken up peering at Mitchel through his binoculars again.

But, unfortunately for Jackson, it did not get any better than Mitchel walking around the beach, looking for sea glass, or ordering a hotdog and then spilling ketchup on himself, or buying another ice-cream cone for himself to snack on.

"Okay, that's it. I'm goin home. This guy is about as bad as my great-aunt Rita," Cooper said, standing up.

"No!" Jackson protested, also standing up. "No, you can't go! Look, look, he's about to do something sinister! I can feel it! Look, look, he's.. umm.. well, now he's throwing away his napkin, but- no! Where are you going? Aw come back! Come on! Look, look, he's getting up, he's getting up! Leaving the beach! It's go time, baby! Come- aw, who am I kidding? I guess I'm flyin solo from now on…" Jackson, who was now very much alone, but still as determined as ever, crouched lower and watched Mitchel fold up his beach chair and rest it against a nearby Port-O-Potty.

Jackson scurried along a path behind some bushes until Mitchel was out on the road. Here there was no cover. Jackson would simply have to blend in with the crowd. He pulled his jacket up over his chin and watched Mitchel stroll casually down the street, shoving his hands into his pockets as he did so. Jackson noticed that Mitchel would occasionally glance behind and around himself, as if he felt someone was watching him. Jackson made a mental note of this before refocusing his attention on 'the package'.

Mitchel was headed down one of the main streets in Malibu, which was lined with expensive stores and upper-class restaurants. Jackson watched closely as Mitchel ducked into a nearby alleyway. He waited, quite impatiently I may add, for Mitchel's return. It took what seemed like forever for a dark shape to emerge from the alleyway, but Jackson wasn't quite sure if it was Mitchel or not: This mysterious character was sporting a jet-black ski mask on his head, which covered all of his face but his eyes and mouth.

This dark figure seemed to be heading for a jewelry store positioned across the street from where Jackson was standing. Jackson decided it was probably safer to wait where he was, just in case something dangerous happened. He watched, slightly frightened, as the masked figure made its may into the jewelry store. Almost at once, chaos broke out: Screams of terror and alarm erupted from within the shop; men shouting, women wailing, and what sounded like a teenage boy's voice ordering commands in a harsh, authoritative tone.

Jackson thought at once: _Oh, my God. Mitchel? _and ran across the street. He waited outside just outside the street for any sign of Mitchel. It was only a matter of about 45 seconds before Mitchel came sprinting out of the shop, shouting warnings and cursing at those that remained in the sore as he went.

Jackson stood, unmoving, on the sidewalk just outside the shop. Mitchel spotted him immediately, and tore off the ski mask, revealing a look so fierce it would pain me too much to write it down. Jackson backed away slowly, mumbling under his breath.

"Mi- Mitchel? Wha- What? Wha- Why? I- I'm- I'm calling the police!" he stuttered, as Mitchel began to advance on him. Jackson stumbled backward, ripping out his cell phone. He turned to run away, but was stopped by the sharp stab of what was unmistakably a gun being shoved into the small of his back. The next seven words that Mitchel breathed into his ear would undoubtedly leave him facing the hardest decision he would ever have to make in his life.

"Now do you really wanna do that?"

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**Okay, well, I'm hoping you guys like this little twist I have put in here (WITH MAJOR HELP FROM MY SISTER, BTW!!) So, show your love by reviewing please! (Or your hate, or your anger, or your badicalness!) Thanks everybody!!**


	11. All the Possibilities

**Okay, now, before the angry mobs break out, I have a good reason for not updating in 2 months. I just can't think of it right now. Let me get back to you on that. Well, anyway, here is the long-awaited chapter 11. I hope you all enjoy.**

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_Dear Frank (Like I said before, Diary is _WAY_ too girly),_

_Okay, you will NEVER guess what just happened to me today. Alright, you know that guy, Mitchel, that I was telling you about before? Lilly's new "bo"? Yeah, well, me and Coop we kinda sorta spying on him to see what he was up to, and we found THE BEST dirt on him. But... it's a little scary… At first, he seemed like a totally normal guy, you know, eatin ice-cream at the beach and all. Then, after Cooper left, I followed him downtown. And he ROBBED A STORE! I know, I know, it seems hard to believe, but I saw it with my own eyes! He had this mask on, and he walked in, and I heard him shouting, and people screaming, then I waited outside the store, and when he came out, he noticed me, and I threatened to call the police, but he said… he said he'd kill me. He had a _GUN to my BACK!_ What was I supposed do? I mean, he knows where I live, he could probably figure out where I sleep, and- and… I dunno, Frank, I'm really scared. I don't know… if I should tell the police... or… I really don't wanna die, though… I'll have to think it through, I guess… I can't keep this to myself… But, just think for a second – what would Lilly think of her perrrrrfect little boyfriend being a criminal!? Hmm…. All the possibilities… I'll get back to you on this one, Frank. _

_Until next time I have an interesting story to tell,_

_Jackson._

_P.S. Remember not to tell ANYONE you exist, kay Frank? That'd be social suicide. God, I'm starting to sound like Miley. Scary thought. _

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**Yes, just another diary entry. but hopefully a more enjoyable one. Hmmm... so... will Jackson spill the beans about Mitchel to Lilly? Or the police? Or will he keep his mouth shut? You shall see in the next chapter, I believe! Till then! Please review!**


	12. Silly With An L

**Now, before you say anything, let me just say this: I have been living in a cave on the run with Sirius Black for the past four moths and hadn't had any time to write this story. So don't murder me. Please. The chapter is FINALLY here, and I hope you have a nice time reading it.**

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_What should I do now?_ I thought again and again as I furiously paced my room. I had no idea what to do with this new information. I could just go and tell Lilly, but then she'll go and ask Mitchel if it's true and he'll lie to her and she'll take his side and Mitchel will secretly slaughter me. That would be the end of Jackson Stewart. And who says that she'll even believe me in the first place? She'll probably just think I'm jealous and I'd do anything to break up her and Mitchel.

Then again, I could just _not_ tell Lilly about my little run-in with her new boyfriend. That way, I wouldn't get killed, and I wouldn't have to deal with Lilly thinking I'm jealous.

So basically, my choices are as follows:

1: I tell Lilly that Mitchel is a thieving murderer.

2: I don't tell Lilly that Mitchel is a thieving murderer.

Seeing as with number two my chances of getting exterminated are slimmer, I think I'll take that route.

So Lilly has yet another date with this guy tonight. I don't know how on Earth I'll be able to watch her walk through the door, but I'll have to manage. Hey, it's my life we're talking about here.

But… What about Lilly's life? Will the chance of her getting hurt be any different now that I know about Mitchel's dirty little secret? I do love this girl. Wow, that sounded weird. But it's the truth. Who do I care about more? Lilly? Or myself?

What a decision…

I think I'll have to tell her, even if it means risking my life. Lilly's worth it, after all.

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"I'm so excited! Are you so excited? I'm so excited!" Lilly shrieked as she danced around Miley's bedroom. Miley watched happily from her bed, laughing at her friend's enthusiasm. 

"Yes, Lil, I'm so excited," Miley agreed, hoisting herself up and taking Lilly's arms. She led Lilly to her Hannah Montana closet, which is where they have been spending most of their time lately.

"Another date with Mitchel! I think he's the one, Miley. I really do. I can just… feel it, you know?" Lilly said, holding her chest in the place where her heart is and sitting down on a chair.

"I'm glad you feel like that, Lilly," Miley said meaningfully. "But you know, you might want to keep your eyes open. There are a lot of guys out there; Mitchel doesn't have to be the last person you ever go out with." Miley just wanted to make sure Lilly's heart didn't get broken. She's too fragile for that to happen.

Lilly looked at Miley's frowning face and sighed. "Aww, I know, Miley. But I just feel so right when I'm with him. I feel like… like nothing can go wrong. Like everything in the world is happy and peaceful and… Oh, I don't know! I can't describe it! He's too perfect for words." She got up and glided over to Hannah's rotating racks of clothes.

"That's great, Lil," Miley said softly, closing the subject and moving on to another one. "So… What to wear, what to wear…" Miley moved over to where Lilly was holding up top after top to see what she would look like in the clothing.

"What do you think about this?" Lilly inquired, holding up a light pink scoop neck tank top, a white camisole to go underneath, and a pair of dark-wash jeans.

"I love it. Very simple, yet very cute. Now go get dressed, little missy! Mitchel's gonna be here soon!" Miley said with feigned strictness. "I'll look for shoes."

"Okay," Lilly agreed, removing the hangers from the clothes and heading to Miley's main room. Suddenly, she stopped short. "Hey, Miley?" she began.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for doing all of this for me. Letting me borrow your clothes, giving me guy advice; it's all so sweet. And don't worry; things won't get serious between Mitchel and me for quite some time. It just means a lot that you care about what happens to me."

Miley was speechless. She wasn't expecting that. "Of course I care about you, Lilly. You're my best friend. I'll always be there for you, honey, even if Mitchel was a… raving lunatic who performs armed robberies and threatens to kill people! I love you that much."

Lilly laughed. "How crazy is that idea?" she asked, walking over to Miley. "Well, I'm glad that you're alright with this, because if my friends and family weren't crazy about the guy I'm crazy about, I don't know what I would do."

Miley gave Lilly a hug and said, "Well, that's not the case, sister. Now go get dressed!"

* * *

Miley and Lilly sat at the kitchen table of Miley's house, not saying anything. They were waiting for Mitchel to come and pick Lilly up for their date. Lilly subconsciously tapped her fingernails on the surface of the table, nervously awaiting Mitchel's arrival. After about five minutes of rat-tat-tat, Miley placed her hand over Lilly's gently. 

"I think that's enough of that," she said softly. Lilly smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry. I'm just really nervous. What if he doesn't like my hair? What if he thinks I look… fat?!" Lilly put her hand on her stomach self-consciously.

"Are you serious, Lilly? Mitchel is totally crazy about you, and you would do well to stop worrying. You guys were made for each other, alright? He likes you for who you are." There was a pause while Lilly stared down at her stomach and Miley watched her. "And you're definitely _not _fat," Miley added.

Lilly looked up and smiled at Miley. "Thanks, Miley. I needed to hear that."

Just then, there was a crash from somewhere above and a loud yelp. Miley sigh. "Jackson," she muttered.

As if on cue, Jackson came careening down the stair at full speed, almost knocking over the decorative table that stood at the foot of the stairs. "Sorry, sorry. Excuse me," he said to the pair of multi-colored legs as he steadied the table. "Oh thank God, Lilly, you're still here!"

"…Yeah. What's up?" Lilly asked, confused.

"Are you still going out with that Mitchel guy tonight?" Jackson asked. He needed to get that cleared up before saying anything else. He didn't want to look foolish, after all.

"Yeah, of course. Why?"

"Listen, you can't go out with him. This is gonna sound crazy but…" He looked from Miley to Lilly. _Oh, they're never gonna believe me,_ he thought hopelessly. _But I have to try. _"Mitchel's a thievin' murderer!"

The two girls exchanged confused looks and there was a short moment of silence. But that silence soon gave way to laughter as Miley and Lilly stared at Jackson, thinking this was simply a joke.

"Guys… Guys, I'm serious. Come one, guys. Guys!" Jackson pleaded.

When her laughter subsided, Miley asked her brother, "You don't actually expect us to believe that, do you?"

"Well… yeah, actually. I do," Jackson said helplessly.

Seeing that he was completely serious, Lilly added, "What are you talking about, Jackson?" She was serious now as well. "Mitchel would never do anything like that."

"Like what?" Mitchel asked, flashing a smile as he stepped through the door with a single red rose held in his hand.

Lilly and Miley stood up, Lilly smoothing out her hair and clothes. Miley smiled and squeezed Lilly's shoulder once.

Jackson went rigid, and avoided Mitchel's eyes. Mitchel, on the other hand, seemed completely comfortable. He walked over to Lilly and handed her the rose, then placed a soft kiss on her cheek. Jackson tried not to gag while watching from the corner.

"So… What are we all talking about?" Mitchel asked casually, sliding a hand around Lilly's waist. The question seemed directed at Jackson, but Miley answered.

"Nothing important. Now, you two go enjoy your date! Have her home by eleven, alright, hot shot? And keep your hands to yourself, mister," Miley said, pointing a finger in Mitchel's face. Mitchel looked confused until Miley laughed and slapped his shoulder playfully. "I'm just kidding, you guys. Have fun tonight. See you later. I'll be waiting to hear _everything_ when you get back, Lil. Bye."

"Bye," Mitchel and Lilly said in unison as Miley shut the door behind them.

"What is your problem?!" Miley shouted as soon as the door was closed, spinning around the face her brother.

"What are you talking about?" Jackson asked, obviously playing dumb.

"Oh, like you don't know! Making up stories about the guy Lilly's going out with to get her to dump him and fall for you again? That's pretty much the dumbest plan I've ever heard! And I'm friends with Oliver!" Miley shouted, walking up to Jackson. "Can't you just get over yourself? Or, you know, get over Lilly? I thought you didn't like her anyway."

"Miley! Stop, alright?" Jackson asked, placing his hands on her shoulders as a way of calming her down. She backed off a few feet. "Listen, the story about Mitchel wasn't a lie, okay? It was true…"

"What are you talking about? There's no way Mitchel's a – what did you call him again?"

"Thieving murderer," Jackson replied, trying to disguise the answer as a cough.

"You have got to be kidding me," Miley said skeptically. "Mitchel's way too nice to be a… thieving murderer."

"Then tell me, little sister: Why did I see Mitchel come out of a jewelry store with a ski mask on right after a major robbery took place? Why did he have a gun? Why is there a bruise on my back from where he shoved that gun against me, threatening to kill me if anyone found out about him?! Hmm? Why is that?"

Miley was speechless for a moment. Once she got her thoughts together, she began, "How can I even trust that you're telling the truth? How do I even know there was a robbery last night? And how would I know if he shoved a gun to your back? This could all just be some elaborate plot set out to destroy Mitchel's reputation with Lilly so she'll go out with you!"

Jackson went over to the couch, picked up the remote, and turned on the TV.

"Last night, a local Malibu jewelry store was robbed," an anchorwoman's voice blared from the television set. "Witnesses say the thief was armed, but no one was injured. Store owner Bob Therton had this to say:"

A large, balding man was shown on the screen then, in front of his store. "The robber seemed to be pretty young, I'd have to say. Only a teenager, by the looks of him. He was wearing a mask to cover his face, so no one got a real good look at him. He left the store in a real hurry. It was sort of a strange robbery, though. He only took one thing: a silver necklace with a little 'L' charm on it."

Jackson flipped the TV off and turned to face Miley with a triumphant smile. "Is that proof enough for ya? Or do you wanna see my back bruise, too?" He began to life up his shirt, but Miley interrupted.

"Oh, please. You're bluffing."

"Wanna bet?" Jackson taunted as he pulled up his shirt and turned around. There was a small bruise on the small of his back, the mix of green, blue and purple swirling together to create on nasty sight.

"Okay, eww!" Miley shrieked, turning away. When she looked back, Jackson had his shirt back over his body and was looking at Miley expectantly. "Come on. This all still doesn't prove that it's Mitchel! It could be any random kid with a girlfriend whose name starts with L that just doesn't like you. That really doesn't narrow it down much."

"Oh, come one, Miles. It's gotta be Mitchel. I saw him with my own two eyes! He had this furious look on his face too… It was scary. Miley still looked unconvinced. "Well I know one way we can find out," Jackson said slyly.

"What's that?" Miley looked skeptical.

"If Lilly brings home a silver necklace with an 'L' charm on it, we'll know the truth."

Miley was speechless. What Jackson was saying was completely true. If Lilly has the stolen necklace, Mitchel must be the thief. "Oh my God," Miley murmured. "You're right."

"I knew it'd happen sooner or later! Well, you talk to Lilly when she gets home. Find out what you can."

"Okay… Okay…" Miley was shocked and scared at the same time. _What was happening to Lilly right now? Was Mitchel hurting her? _

"Night, Miles," Jackson said, retreating back up the stairs to his room.

"Yeah… Night…."

Miley went over to couch and flung herself over it, landing on it upside down with her head on the floor. _What am I gonna do? _she thought. _If Mitchel really is… what Jackson says he is… then… _She shuddered at the thought. _Poor Lilly. She really knows how to pick em… _

* * *

"Miley! I'm back!" Lilly shouted, closing the door behind her. Her date with Mitchel had lasted longer than she'd thought it would. Seeing that no one was downstairs, she went up the stairs to Miley's room. On her way, she passed Jackson's open door. She couldn't resist the urge to look in. This had once been the man she loved, after all. 

She peered in the open door. Jackson was sitting on his bed, his back facing Lilly. He seemed to be muttering to himself. Lilly heard her own name spoken multiple times, along with "Mitchel" and "murder." Slightly frightened, she backed away from the room and took the last few steps to Miley's room. Without knocking, she threw the door open. Miley was lying on her bed, reading a magazine.

"Hey! You're back!" Miley said, sitting up and tossing the magazine aside. Lilly plopped down on the bed beside her, putting a little box and the rose from Mitchel in her lap. Miley eyed the box as Lilly played with it in her hands.

"Yes, I am. And from the best date ever!" Lilly voice made Miley snap her head back up. She looked at Lilly's smiling face.

"So… er… tell me about the date," Miley began. They would get to the box when Lilly was ready.

"Well, we went to this amusement park," Lilly said gleefully. "I know it sounds lame, but it was actually so much fun. We held hands and I won him a teddy bear. He tried to win me something, but was actually kinda bad at the games so I stepped up and won him this huge teddy bear. It was blue and white and…"

As Lilly prattled on about her date, Miley thought about Mitchel. _He always seemed so… perfect_, she thought, _so well put together, if that makes any sense. He just seemed so… nice. So… not-killer-robber-like. It's so hard to believe all those things Jackson said about him. But I saw the news, and the necklace, and… I mean, Lilly's got a box and everything. Oh, I just hope Lilly doesn't get hurt by him. I would never be able to see that happen. _

"-and he even walked me to the door and everything!" Lilly was just finishing up her story as Miley tuned back in.

"Wow, Lil. Seems like a fun night," Miley said. She tried to sound happy for her friend, but all of that happiness was withering away into worry and anxiousness. "So… What's in the box?" she asked casually. Or at least what she thought was casually.

"Oh, yeah, I almost forgot! He got me the most gorgeous necklace I've ever seen!" Lilly said, holding the box close to her and closing her eyes. Miley supposed she was imagining the moment he gave it to her.

_Please don't have an 'L' charm! Please don't have an 'L' charm! _Miley pleaded silently. As Lilly slowly lifted the lid of the box Miley held her breath. After what seemed like an eternity, the lid was off, and Miley was staring at a silver-chained necklace with a little 'L' charm on it. She gasped as she looked at it.

"Isn't it gorgeous?" Lilly asked dreamily. Miley looked at her. _This has to stop, _she thought as she stared at Lilly's love struck expression.

"Lilly," Miley began cautiously. She didn't want to spring anything on her too fast. "Lilly, what you have to understand about Mitchel… is…"

"Oh, it's okay, Miley. He already told me," Lilly said nonchalantly. Miley stared at her friend, slightly confused.

_How could she be okay with this? _Miley thought. "And… you don't care?"

"No way. Why would I care about a silly little thing like that? I'm sure a lot of guys do it."

"Lilly, he broke the law! Not a lot of guys do that. And those that do usually go to jail."

"What are you talking about? Miley, just because Mitchel's a cheerleader doesn't mean he's breaking the law!"

"Yes it d- Say what?" Miley said, interrupting herself. "He's a _cheerleader_?"

"Yeah, isn't that what you were gonna say?" Lilly asked.

"No! Not at all! Lilly… There's something… something more serious than male cheerleading… that's wrong with Mitchel," Miley began seriously.

"Well… What is it?" Lilly asked, her face now solemn.

"Lilly, you know that necklace that Mitchel gave you?" Miley said softly, gently placing her hand on top of Lilly's.

"Y-Yeah…"

"Well… He stole it."

Lilly was silent for a minute, then said, "W-What?"

"Mitchel's a thief, Lilly. A robber. He stole that necklace from_ Bobby's _downtown. It was all over the news. I'm sorry…"

Miley watched Lilly's face change as she told the story. It went from happy to distressed in a matter of a minute. "Oh my gosh," she whispered after a minute.

"There's something else, too," Miley said softly. Lilly looked up at her friend, fear in her eyes.

"What is it?"

"Well… Now I'm not entirely sure this is true, so try not to worry too much. Jackson was there when Mitchel robbed the store. He said that Mitchel threatened to kill him if he told anyone about this. He said Mitchel had a gun and everything…"

"Oh my gosh…" Lilly repeated. "But… It's not for sure, right? I mean, Jackson could be lying?"

"Well, he showed me the bruise from where Mitchel shoved the gun at him. It's pretty nasty."

"But... Jackson's such a klutz. He's always falling down and knocking things over. He could've gotten that anywhere…. Right?" Lilly was pulling out every excuse she had. She needed anything to convince her that Mitchel was totally harmless.

"Lilly…" Miley began cautiously. "Even if Jackson is lying, it still means Mitchel's a thief. I hate to say this, but… You have to break up with him, hon."

"B-Break up… with… h-him?" Lilly stuttered. "I-I don't know if I-I can do that…"

"Lilly, don't you see? Mitchel is a thief! Do you want a thief for a boyfriend?"

"Well… no, but… I just… I thought Mitchel was… the one," Lilly sighed. She put her head down, and Miley saw a small, glistening tear slide down her cheek. She put her arms around Lilly and squeezed her friend close to her.

"Do you want me there when you do it?" Miley suggested.

"No. No, that would just make it worse. I have to do this alone," Lilly said, breaking away from Miley. She smiled weakly as she lifted herself off the bed and over to where her overnight bag lay on the floor. She took out her pajamas and sort of half-smiled at Miley as she walked down the hall to Miley's bathroom.

When she was finished changing, she crept back down the hall. As she was passing Jackson's room, that temptation to peek in was overwhelming, and she had to give in. She slowly peered around the open door, only to find Jackson lying on his bed, fast asleep. She couldn't help it. She crept quietly into the room and walked over to the bed.

Jackson's chest heaved up and down evenly with each breath he took. She watched him for a moment, when something on his desk suddenly caught her eye. She walked over to it, keeping one eye on Jackson.

On the desk was a small, black book. On the cover, the word _Diary _was scratched out and replaced with the word _Frank_.

_Should I look? _Lilly thought to herself._ No, no, it would be an invasion of privacy. _She started to put it down, but stopped._ But it would be so cool to really get inside a boy's head. What are they really thinking half the time? That is, if they're thinking anything at all… _After another few seconds of debating with herself, she decided to look. She sat down on the floor with the notebook held in her hands. She opened the first page a little timidly, half expecting some alarm to go off and cage bars to spring up from the ground. When no such thing occurred, she decided it was safe and opened the book to the first page. The date read 2/22/06. _So this was lat year_, Lilly thought. She began to read:

_Dear… Frank. Yes, Frank is a good name for a journal. NOT a diary. Diary is just too… girly. Yeah, Frank is good. Nice and manly. Because who am I? I am JACKSON! The manliest man in the ENTIRE WORLD!!! _

Lilly stopped reading for a moment. She couldn't help but laugh at the total Jackson-ness of this first paragraph. When her silent giggle fit subsided, she went back to reading the entry.

_Well, hello, there. My dad got me this JOURNAL for Christmas and I'm just deciding to write in it now. He thought I needed a better was of expressing how I really feel than by singing loudly and, as he puts in "badly" (oh, please... I've got the voice of an angel!) in the shower. Well, let's get on with the intro, shall we? I'm Jackson Stewart, and… um… I'm fifteen years old… and… um… I like girls… and cars… and sports… and all that guy stuff. You know the drill. So… Let's get to the good stuff, shall we? Well, there's this girl, right? Ha, ha, I can almost hear my dad's voice: "When isn't there a girl?" But this isn't about him. It's about her… You would love her Frank. She's absolutely beautiful. Her eyes… her smile… her face… EVERYTHING about her is wonderful. The way she talks, the way she laughs, even the way she makes fun of me. _

_What a loser…_ Lilly thought as she read.

_Yeah, yeah, I know I sound like a loser… _

Lilly laughed at that.

…_but she's the one. She brightens up everyday of my life, Frank. And I love her. I've loved her since the first time I laid eyes on her. Yeah, she's THAT amazing. Her name… Her name is too beautiful to be put to paper. __But I'll give you a hint, okay? Her name rhymes with silly, but starts with L. Does that clear it up enough for you?_

Lilly dropped the book on the floor with a loud thud, causing Jackson to roll over in his sleep. He was now facing Lilly, and although his eyes were still closed, Lilly felt he could see everything she was doing.

_Oh my God. Jackson's liked me since… since he first saw me? That's impossible. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. This is... this is… I can't even explain what this is! _

She turned back to the journal.

_Well, I think I'd better be getting to bed now. Off to have more dreams about silly with an L. _

_Jackson._

_PS. Remember to keep quiet about this, okay, Frank? If anyone... especially Miley… or… You-Know-Who… found out about this… well, I couldn't take that. Later days. _

Lilly flipped to the last entry. It was dated 7/06/07. Tonight.

_Hey Frank. _

_I'm caught in the middle of something HUGE. Lilly didn't believe me when I told her about her boyfriend. She thought I was kidding. Yes, you heard right. Kidding. Then, of course Mitchel had to walk in so I couldn't get my point across. There was this whole thing with a necklace, Miley and I saw it on the news. I think Miley believes me, but I'll have to wait until tomorrow to be sure. _

_Oh, Frank. Things are real bad between me and Lilly right now. I know she hates me for standing her up, but I mean… it wasn't my fault! It was Dad and his stupid Pippa movie!! I wanted to see her that night, I really did. Frank, you know how much I love her! I've probably written her name about a thousand different times within your pages. She's amazing Frank. But she'll never be mine… _

And that was the end of the entry. Lilly closed the book silently and placed it back on the dresser. _So he _does_ love me… _she thought with a heavy heart. She walked over to where Jackson was sprawled out on his bed. She watched him for a moment before crawling into the bed next to him and snuggling up to his chest. She left her arms at her side, not wanting to do anything that might wake Jackson up. Just being this close to him made her feel sort of fuzzy inside. Not an all-out fuzz war, but a nice, fuzzy tea party, so to speak.

She smiled at him as she looked at his face: eyes closed, lips slightly parted. She thought while she looked; about Mitchel, about Jackson, about his journal. She thought about everything that had happened today: her run-in with Jackson, her date, her talk with Miley, what Jackson had written about her. It was just starting to sink in how much he really loved her.

And she was coming to the conclusion that she just might feel the same way.

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**Well, at least I gave you something nice and long and interesting to read, huh? I hope you liked it! I should update a little more frequently now. The story's coming to a close, I think. Probably only about two or three more chapters. Okay, then, now it's time for you to show the world what you thought about the chapter in a review!! hehehehe.**


	13. What Was I Thinking?

**Well hello again. Now that wasn't such a long wait, was it? I'm happy it only took me like, a week-ish to update. I think I'll start writing the next chapter right after I post this one, so maybe I can have another update by this weekend. Okay, just another diary entry, as you can see, but from yet another character, as you will come to find out. Hope you like it.**

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Dear Diary, 

Wow. Lilly, Lilly, Lilly. She is in one messed up situation right now. She just found out that her boyfriend robbed a jewelry store and the guy she used to like might still like her and she has no clue who she likes because the new boyfriend seemed like a great guy but he turned bad so she's wondering if maybe the other guy will turn out the same way even though she sort of doubts it because she's known him for forever and has liked him for a long time, while the new guy she just met is still sort of a stranger to her so she wonders why she should have even trusted him in the first place and now she's starting to like the other guy again but she's still not one hundred percent sure of her feelings for him because he's the one that saw the new guy rob the store and the new guy and the other guy sort of kind of totally hate each other because they both like Lilly and the other guy has known about the new guy's evilness and the new guy sort of kind of totally threatened to kill the other guy if he told anyone about it so now Lilly's caught in such a mess because she doesn't want to bring it up with the new guy that she knows because then he'll think that the other guy told her, which he actually did, but she won't say that, of course, but she doesn't want the other guy to get hurt because she still has some hidden feelings for him so she doesn't know what to say to either guy without the other one getting hurt. Oh, and she's still kind of worried that I might be mad because one of the guys is my brother and she doesn't want to hurt me by hurting him.

She hasn't told me any of this… I just know.

Now, how does this play into my life, you ask? Well, it's my best friend. You do the math.

I have no idea how to help her with this. I've never been through anything like this before. The worst guy I've dated was Chuck Tylers from the basketball team. All he did was burp the alphabet all through dinner. Ugh.

But Lilly… Lilly's in such a bad position right now. I mean, she obviously wants to break up with Mitchel, but then again, she still likes Mitchel, but then again, she still likes Jackson, but then again, she doesn't want Jackson getting hurt. And she doesn't want Mitchel getting hurt. And she doesn't want me getting hurt.

But… what if Lilly gets hurt?

I mean, she's the only one that really matters here. It's her decision to make. I can't make it for her. Jackson can't make it for her. Mitchel certainly can't make it for her. So... what does she do?

Oh, I hope she comes out of this okay. I was the one that brought her into this mess in the first place. "Oh yeah, all you have to do is make him jealous by going out with someone else!" What was I thinking? Grr…

Alright, well, I have no idea why Lilly's not back from the bathroom yet, but I really need some sleep, so I'm going to have to leave you.

Miley.

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**Ahh... Nothing like a good diary entry from little Miss Montana to get you in the writing mood. Well, I'll see you all soon, and I'm hoping for reviews! x3**


	14. It's Not You, It's Me

**Wow. I'm still shocked that it took me less than a month to update this story. Sirius has been getting rather lonley, but oh well. I'll visit him soon. **

**Well, here is another chapter! I hope you enjoy!**

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"Morning, Sleepy-head," Jackson's voice came from nowhere. "Have a good night's sleep?" It seemed close by.

Lilly opened her eyes to find Jackson's face inches from hers, something of a smirk playing at the corners of his lips. She rubbed her eyes. _Why was Jackson in Miley' room?_ she wondered.

"What are you-?" She stopped mid-sentence as she looked around the room. It was not Miley's. Miley doesn't have brown wallpaper. She doesn't have posters of basketball players and baseball players tacked up on the walls. She doesn't have a black journal sitting on her desk. As she stared at the book, last night's events came rushing back to her. Had she really spent the entire night in Jackson's room? She hastily got out of bed, only to find her shirt twisted around and part of her bra exposed. Jackson averted his eyes as she pulled her shirt back around and pushed her hair behind her ear.

"I'm… really sorry, Jackson. I didn't mean to-"

But Jackson interrupted her. "It's okay, Lilly. It was just a little… startling… to see someone lying in bed next to me when I woke up. That's all." He smiled. She couldn't help but return it.

"Oh…" She laughed nervously. "Okay."

"But I was wondering what you were doing there," he went on.

She looked around. How _am I going to get out of this? _"Well…" she began. "I… Miley kicked me out of her room." That was lame, she knew, but it was the first thing she could think of.

"Why did she kick you out?" He looked puzzled.

"We… had a fight," Lilly said. Jackson nodded slowly.

"What was the fight about?" he asked.

Lilly thought fast. "Um… Mitchel," she said quickly. Again, it was the first thing she could think of.

"Oh. Mitchel." Jackson's tone and expression changed noticeably and immediately.

Lilly knew that was the wrong thing to say. "She thought… She thought that she should come with me when I go to break up with him, but I don't want her to be there. That's what the fight was about." She watched Jackson for his reaction. He looked taken aback.

"Oh." His voice was much softer now. "Oh. Okay, then." He didn't look mad anymore. "So… Why my room? Why not the couch?"

She should have seen this one coming. "Well… I was tired… and your room was the first thing I saw… Well, it was either that or the bathroom. Which would you have chosen?"

He laughed. "I see your point. Well, I'm not complaining." As soon as he said it he wished he hadn't. "I mean-"

"It's okay. I'm not complaining either." She smiled at him as she walked out the door, looking back once more at Jackson's surprised face. Even Lilly could not believe her own boldness. She shook her head as she walked down the hall to Miley's room. She opened the door to find Miley still sleeping, and silently thanked whoever was listening for this small favor.

She crawled into bed next to her friend and pretended to be asleep. However, it did not last long, as Miley was beginning to stir.

"Morning," she said groggily.

"Morning," Lilly echoed, trying to make it sound and look as though she, too, had just woken up.

"Hey, what was taking so long in the bathroom last night? I fell asleep waiting for you," Miley said, gazing up at her ceiling. Lilly imitated her movement and stared at the ceiling too.

"Um… I had a knot in my hair. I had to get it out before going to sleep or my hair would have been impossible this morning," she replied, thinking fast.

"Oh. All right," Miley said. She obviously believed her.

"So… When are you gonna break it off with Mitchel?" Miley asked, turning to face Lilly.

"Sometime today, I think. I'm kind of scared, though, Miley," Lilly said, turning to face her friend as well. Miley's face was the image of concern. "I mean… If he really did all of this stuff… What will he do to me if I… If I break it off?"

"Oh, Lilly, he would never do anything like that," Miley said consolingly. But she was not so sure of herself as she spoke. To what lengths would Mitchel go to get what he wants? Would Lilly get hurt in the process? Would Mitchel go as far as forcing her to love him?

"Thanks, Miley," Lilly said. She was glad she could always count on someone for words of comfort when they were needed. She thought about this for a moment while she pondered whether or not she should tell Miley what she was really doing last night… She decided she could trust her not to laugh or yell.

"Hey, Miley?" she began.

"Yeah?" Miley said after a moment, seeming to snap out of her own thoughts.

"Well, I wasn't really here all night. And I wasn't in the bathroom for as long as you think I was." Lilly watched Miley as she spoke, looking for something to tell her this was the wrong time. Miley merely looked confused, so Lilly went on, "Well… I was actually… in Jackson's room."

"You spent the night there?!" Miley asked, sitting up in bed and staring at Lilly as though she had just told her she had had a conversation with a pigmy puff.

"Yes," Lilly said in a small voice, sitting up as well. "Nothing happened! I mean, he was already asleep when I went in there. All I did was read some of his jour-"

"Wait, you read his journal? I've been trying to get into that thing for months! What did it say?" She seemed far more interested now.

Lilly went on, "Well… it talked about… me."

"You? What did it say about you?"

"Well… He talked about… how he… kind of… likes me. And how he's liked me for a really, really long time." Lilly looked at her hands, thinking about this.

"Well he has a stupid way of showing it!" Miley said, furrowing her brow and shaking her head.

"I know," Lilly chimed in, half-smiling.

Miley noticed something in her friend's voice that made her soften her smile. "Do you still like him, Lil?"

Lilly looked up at Miley, her mouth slightly open and her eyes wide. "No way! No, I definitely do not-" at a look from Miley that said 'I can see right through you,' she stopped and said, "Okay, fine. I still like him, okay? I sort of… slept in his bed with him…"

"Oh my God, Lilly," Miley said, covering her mouth with her hands. "Are you serious?" Lilly nodded. "Wow," Miley breathed.

"Nothing went on, though, seriously! All that happened was I read a few pages of his journal, watched him sleep for a minute, wished I could be in that bed with him, and got in! That's all. I woke up the next morning with my shirt half-twisted around, but I'm pretty sure that was just from turning around in my sleep."

"Oh, Lilly. It's okay. I believe that nothing happened between you guys, but even if it did, even if you kissed him or did whatever you guys wanted to do, I wouldn't be mad! I would be happy! I think the idea of my best friend and my brother going out is awesome, Lil. Don't ever think otherwise." And with that last sentiment and a pat on Lilly's leg she got out of bed and disappeared out the door.

Lilly stayed in the bed, thinking. She made a mental list of what she knew so far.

1. Jackson likes her.

2. She's pretty sure she likes him back.

3. Miley's okay with them liking each other.

4. She's still got a robber/possible murderer for a boyfriend.

5. She wants to break up with said boyfriend so she can get together with Jackson.

6. She doesn't want to die in the process.

She still didn't know how on Earth she was going to break it off with Mitchel. Her first and hopefully final attempt will, of course, be the ever popular, "it's not you, it's me," approach. She wanted to do it soon, too, so she didn't have it hanging over her.

Taking advantage of the empty room, she hurriedly changed her clothes and brushed her hair, then joined Miley in the bathroom to brush her teeth. They did not exchange a word to each other until they were downstairs, although Miley slightly nudged Lilly as they passed Jackson's room on their way.

* * *

"Okay. I'm gonna do it. I'm just gonna walk right up to him and say, 'Mitchel, I have to talk to you,'" Lilly said aloud to herself as she walked along the beach, kicking the sand. 

"Talk about what?" Mitchel asked, coming up behind her.

"Oh, um… I was looking for you," she said.

"I know."

"How did you know that?" Lilly asked, slightly scared.

"Because you were walking around saying my name and asking people if they've seen me," he replied.

"Oh. Yeah. Duh," Lilly said, laughing nervously.

"So… what did you want to talk about?" he said again.

"Well… It's something… kind of big," she watched his face.

"Lay it on me, baby. I think I can handle it," he said easily.

"Well… I… Mitchel, I wanna break up."

* * *

**Cliffhanger? Eh, kind of. You don't get to know if he kills her or not until next time. Sorry. Please, leave your comments in a well-thought-out and poilte review. Or you could just type **siueyowheionfvoehfjseoi**ITSUCKED**huweotyhoiwfdghkjhgejfoiew** and I'd be happy. hehe. Oh, and I know this was like, shorter than Denis Creevy, but I didn't feel like writing anymore and thought this was a fine place to finish it. So there! **

**x3 dee. **


	15. I Want Some Spaghettios

**Another day, another diary entry. Someone new, but very short, and not informative at all. Deal with it.**

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_Hey. It's Oliver. No duh. Who else would be writing in my diary/journal/haven for all my most personal thoughts? Actually, my mom uses this for her shopping lists. Or was that just me thinking about food? Eh... I don't know._

_Anyway… Lilly's been acting really weird lately. Ever since she stated going out with that Mitchel guy… Ooo, maybe she's n loOoOove… Hey, those Os look cool. Hm… Now I want some Spaghettios… I'll be back later._

_Oliver._

**

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Told you it was short and pointless. But oh, well. Review anyway! Scream at me for making such short chapters. I could care less. Just be sure not to open the fruit basket that will be sitting on your doorstep the following day... MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Alright, I'm done. Later days.**


	16. Just Like You Want It

**Oh my stars! Two updates in ONE DAY?! It's a miracle! Sirius will be so proud... Now, on with the story!**

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"What did you just say?" His eyes pierced her. She felt like they were cutting a hole though her chest.

"I said… I said I wanna break up." She backed up a bit as she said it.

"You… You wanna break up with me?" He advanced even closer than before.

"Yeah…" How many times did she have to say it? "Look, Mitchel, I'm really sorry, but this just wasn't working out… It's over."

She looked at his face. It was different than before, that's for sure. He didn't even look like himself anymore. Where was the guy she met on the beach? Whatever happened to him?

"No, no, no, no, no!" Mitchel shouted. "You do NOT break up with me! This wasn't supposed to happen!"

"What are you talking about? Was I just some part of a plan you had? Did you just ask me out so you could have the pleasure of stealing things?" It slipped out before she could think about what she was saying.

"What did you just say?" Mitchel asked her, his voice dropping dangerously low. It was now something of a hiss. She backed away again, but he simply moved closer. "Who have you been talking to?"

"No-No one!" she said quickly. She stumbled in the sand and lost her footing. She caught herself quickly and continued to back away, Mitchel following close.

"He told you, didn't he?!" Mitchel said fiercely. Lilly knew who he was referring to.

"No! He didn't say anything!" Lilly said, beginning to cry. She was scared, more for Jackson than for herself.

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Mitchel shouted, grabbing Lilly by the wrists and holding her close to him. She refused to look into his face, instead facing the ground, letting her tears fall onto the warm sand below. "What did he say to you? WHAT DID HE TELL YOU?!"

"He didn't say anything! He didn't say anything!" Lilly repeated over and over, still refusing to look into his eyes. She was scared of what she would find there.

"The longer you deny it, the worse it will be for him!" Mitchel shouted, forcing her head up. She was finally forced to look at his face. His features were contorted with rage; the snarl on his lips scared her almost as much as the rage playing around in his eyes. She looked away again, only to have her face held up by Mitchel's forceful hand.

"Look at me. NOW! What did he say to you?" He lowered his voice dangerously again.

"Mitchel… Mitchel… Stop… Please…" she said breathlessly. "Why are you doing this?" she pleaded. "Why? Can't you just go out with someone like a regular person? Why do you have to steal things? Why do you have to threaten people? What did Jackson ever do to you?" she was sobbing again. He looked at her. There was no trace of remorse in his face.

"Why? There is no 'why.' I just do it. There is no reason. And Jackson had it coming. Spying on me! What did he think he was doing? Oho, he didn't know what he was getting himself into, did he?" He seemed to be talking more to himself than to Lilly. "No… Now he's really in trouble. He's had this coming ever since he followed me that day on the beach. And now… Now he will pay."

He looked down at Lilly once more, and said in a low voice, "And don't even think of telling Jackson about this… Oh, and as for that whole 'break up thing,' only I decide when a relationship is over. Got it?" But he didn't stay to see whether or not Lilly got it, because he then turned and sprinted off down the beach, leaving Lilly standing alone, watching him disappear into the distance.

* * *

"Hm… What to do, what to do… I could always just shoot him. But where's the fun in that? And that doesn't give me Lilly. I could threaten to kill him again, but this time to Lilly. No, because when nothing happens to Jackson she'll go back to him. What does this loser have that I don't?" Mitchel was pacing his room, now and then stopping to look into the dusty mirror hanging on his wall over his dresser.

He looked around the room. It was relatively small; all that it contained was a single twin-sized bed, a small dresser and a tiny closet. The floor was clean, in a sense: it had nothing on it but dust and grime, much like the rest of the room. He saw a spider spinning a silver web in the corner above his bed.

"The only reason I stole that necklace was because I couldn't afford to get her something nice. Sure, I might have threatened to kill her friend's brother, but what does that really have to do with anything? Why did Jackson have to follow me anyway? He brought this on himself…"

Suddenly, an idea struck him. "I could just… take… Jackson… And then Lilly would come to rescue him, and I would strike a deal with her: she would have to continue to be my girlfriend, and I'll let Jackson live. She refuses, he dies."

As he spoke, he went over to the closet and removed a box from the shelf on top of the clothes hanging there. He took off the lid and lifted the silver handgun out from the box. He also took out a few extra bullets. He was glad his mother wasn't home. Having the house to himself made things a lot easier…

As he loaded the gun, he said to himself, "This should be fun…"

* * *

"Are you still reading that magazine? I thought you didn't even like sports?"

Jackson turned around on his bed to face Miley, who was standing in his doorway with a skeptical expression on her face. He grinned, holding up the magazine. Across the top it read _Sports Illustrated._ Below that, Jackson read aloud, "Swimsuit Edition."

Miley grimaced. "Nuff said. You are such a guy…"

"And you are such a girl. Don't think I don't hear you on the phone with your friends, talking about Jake, and Johnny, and Josh. Hey, why do all the guys you like have names that start with J? Isn't that a little weird?"

"You know, I never noticed that… I guess it is a little weird. But whatever. At least I can get a boyfriend."

"Why would I want a boyfriend?" Jackson said, giving her a fake confused look.

"You know what I mean! I at least have the guts to tell someone I like them, especially when I'm almost positive they like me back… Think about it."

Jackson rolled his eyes, but remained silent.

So Miley spoke again. "Hey, I'm gonna walk down to the supermarket to get something for dinner. Dad called earlier and said he wouldn't be home until late, and we don't have any food around here, so… Any suggestions?"

"Sloppy Joes," Jackson said, grinning again. He knew Miley hated those.

"I don't think so. As long as I'm the one doing the shopping, Sloppy Joes will never be on the menu. How about spaghetti or something? Something easy to make."

"Go crazy," Jackson replied, turning back to his magazine.

"Will do. Later," she said, turning and disappearing out the door. A minute or so later, he heard the door close behind her.

After only about ten minutes, Jackson though he heard the screen door that goes out onto the back porch open and close. At first he thought it was Miley, home with the groceries, but then he realized that it would have taken her longer than ten minutes to walk down to the supermarket, debate over what she should get, change her mind twenty times, then walk back. He knew his sister too well.

Wondering who it could be, he decided to investigate the sound. Possibilities ran through his mind: Dad, Cooper, Oliver, Lilly. At the last name, his heart lurched. Maybe she was back to talk to him? To ask him out, even? With that thought, he leaped down the stairs two at a time, skidding to a halt in the middle of the kitchen.

Jackson looked around. The house was empty. He stood there for a minute, puzzled. _Maybe it was just the wind_, he thought. He was just about to go back upstairs when he heard a soft thump from somewhere on the back porch. Was Lilly hiding from him? Was she embarrassed?

"Lilly? You out there?" he called out. "You can come out, you know." He walked closer to the door, then stepped out onto the deck. It was deserted. Where was she? Then a horrible thought hit him. Maybe it wasn't Lilly. Maybe it was a burglar, here to steal all of their not-so-priceless belongings! Or maybe it was a psycho killer that wanted to cut off his fingers one by one! Or maybe it was something worse than both of those. Maybe it was…

"Hello, Jackson."

He knew that voice. That was one voice Jackson never wanted to hear again. But he needed to be calm. He couldn't give away the fact that he was scared. That would just give this freak more sick pleasure than he already had.

"Hello, Mitchel." Jackson wheeled around to face him. "What are you doing here? Gonna threaten me again?"

"Not exactly. We're going to go on a little… field trip, my friend. One that you will never forget. One that will lead you to your possible doom, or right back here to your safe, comfortable home. It all depends on one person."

Jackson knew who that one person was.

"What did you do to Lilly?" he asked, hoping he sounded much braver than he felt.

"Oh, nothing. It's you who will feel the pain, Jackson. Not her. She's much too precious for that kind of agony. She is the one I want, but it is you who I will use to get to her. Now. Come with me." He beckoned Jackson forward with a few long, bony fingers.

"You seriously think I'm just going to come quietly?" Jackson asked incredulously.

"I thought we'd get to this. Of course, I had to try the easy approach first, just to see if you were smart enough to obey without causing complications. But, as I suspected, you've failed. But don't worry. I have a back-up plan." With that, he took out the familiar silver handgun from one of his pockets and pointed it at Jackson. "Now, you will come with me, quietly and easily, or I will shoot you."

Jackson eyed the gun warily. Thinking fast, he said, "But… If you shoot me, how are you going to lure Lilly to you?" _That was stupid. Do you want Lilly to die? _

"I could always shoot you in the leg," Mitchel replied casually. "That way, Lilly will know I mean business, and you don't die in the process."

"No! No, that won't be necessary. I guess I'll just- I'll just come with you now. Quietly and easily. Just like you want it."

"Maybe I should shoot you anyway… Just to make sure Lilly knows who she's dealing with?" Mitchel said, his eyes darting from Jackson's legs and the gun in his hand.

"NO!" Jackson shouted. Mitchel's face snapped back up to Jackson's. "No, I-I'm sure she knows who she's dealing with. I mean… Look at you! You've got evil written all over your-okay I'll shut up now," he said at a dangerous look from Mitchel.

"That's probably a good idea. Now come." Mitchel took Jackson's arm forcefully as he neared him, shoving the gun into the same spot at the small of his back. "Oh, wait. I almost forgot. We'll have to tell Lilly where you've run off to, now won't we? Here," Mitchel said, taking out a small piece of paper and a pen from one of his pockets and shoving it into Jackson's hand. They went over to a table on the porch. "Now write what I say. Dear Lilly," he began. Jackson looked up at him, hate flaring inside his body. Mitchel noticed he hadn't begun writing yet, so he shoved the gun a little harder into Jackson's back. Jackson then did what he was told and put the pen to the paper. "Dear Lilly," Mitchel repeated, "I want you to know… that Mitchel has taken me to his house… and if you want to ever see me again… you will follow. Got that down? Okay, now… Write down this address: 108 Marble Street. If she can't find it, well… let's just hope she does, eh? For your sake. Now sign your name. That's right. Okay, now leave that on the table and let's go." He turned to leave, and, with a split-second decision, Jackson shoved the pen into his pocket and left the note on the table, following Mitchel off the porch.

* * *

"Jackson! Jackson! Open up! It's Lilly! Jackson! Miley! Mr. Stewart! Anybody!" Lilly pounded over and over on the Stewarts' front door, calling out random names, hoping someone would come and answer her. She tried the knob several times, but the door was locked, and she couldn't get in. She went around to the back, but saw, to her dismay, that it was locked as well. She whipped out her cell phone and called the house, but no one picked up. She then tried Jackson's cell, but that call also went unanswered. She then tried Miley's cell, but it was no good.

She then made her way to the front of the house again, going up to the front door. She sat on the front step, waiting for someone, anyone, to come home. She began to drift off to sleep when she heard someone calling her name.

"Lilly? Lilly? Lilly!" It was Miley. She was clutching some grocery bags in one hand while shaking Lilly's shoulder with the other.

"What? Oh, Miley. Sorry. Where were you? I've been here for-" she checked her watch "a half an hour! I need to talk to Jackson."

"I was getting food for dinner. You're welcome to stay if you like. Jackson should be up in his room. You can see him when we get inside. Here, just let me get my key… Would you take these for a second?" Miley asked, handing the bags over to Lilly as she rummaged around in her pockets for the house key. "Here it is." She unlocked the door and took a grocery bag from Lilly as they stepped into the house. "You can put that on the counter," she said to Lilly, who was still carrying one of the bags. Miley put the house key on a table by the door before setting her bag down next to Lilly's. "Why do you need to talk to Jackson? Is this a love thing? Cause if it is, I don't want to accompany you. No offense."

Lilly shook her head. "No! It's not a love thing. Jackson's in serious trouble with Mitchel."

"Oh yeah! Mitchel. Did you break up with him yet?"

"Well…" And Lilly recounted the entire story of what happened on the beach to Miley. Miley remained silent throughout the whole story, but when Lilly got to the part about Jackson 'paying,' she let out a little gasp. "Then he just sprinted off up the beach," Lilly finished after a few minutes.

"Oh my God…" Miley breathed. "We have to go tell him!"

Lilly nodded fiercely and they ran up the stairs together, sprinted down the hall and came to a halt at Jackson's door, which was open just a crack. They flung it open the rest of the way and barged into the room, only to find it empty.

"Where is he?" Lilly demanded.

"I-I don't know…" Miley said, looking around at the room. It was exactly the same as it was just before she left. "Let's… Let's go look around to see if he's somewhere downstairs or outside." Lilly nodded and followed her friend back downstairs. Miley looked inside while Lilly looked outside.

First, Lilly went out front and glanced up and down the street to see if he was somewhere else on the street. Seeing that he was not, she went out back, scanning the yard and surrounding beach. She stepped up onto the porch and scanned that too. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. All that she saw was the workout machine Jackson had tried to use to become more muscular, a napkin on one of the tables, and a few beach chairs folded up and leaning against the side of the house. _Wait_, she thought as her eyes drifted back over what she had thought was a napkin. With a closer look, she saw that it was actually a piece of paper. And there was something written on it. It was a note. A note addressed to her! And it was signed with Jackson's name! She read through it quickly, gasping as she got to the end.

"Miley!" she called. "I think you'd better come out here!"

She heard footsteps, then Miley's face appeared in the doorway. "What is it?" she asked, breathless.

Lilly held the note out to her. Miley read through it, gasping just as Lilly had done. "Oh my God…" she said when she had finished. She handed the note back to Lilly.

"We have to find him."

* * *

**I know, I know, I know. It's another Creevy chapter. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Denis and I have become good friends over the past few weeks, and he needs a few chapters dedicated to him. So... deal with it. That makes me think of Corbin's song. You have go to deal with it! Oh! I ain't telling you no lies. Girl, deal with it! Oh! Tell me why you roll your eyes! just deal with it! OKay, I'm done. ANYWAY... Just... review the story, kay? Or flame me to hell, I don't care. Yeah. I'm that kind of person. So THERE! **

**Good day. I said good day, Diddy! **

**haha. Sorry. Jackson quote. Had to put it in here.**

**Later days. **


	17. One Heart, One Life, One Love

**I'm updating like CA-RAZY! I called Sirius last night, and he siad he found somewhere to camp out for a little while. He found a computer and has been reading all of these updates. He said he wants me to stay here and keep writing. So that I will do.**

* * *

_Friday_

_So I did it. I finally did it. And I feel great. Jackson's sitting in my closet, bound and gagged, right now. I can hear his muffled screams from where I'm sitting. I really hope this plan works. If it doesn't, if she doesn't come… I don't know what I'd do… I don't know if anyone understands how much I need this girl. That day on the beach… Wow. I felt such a connection between us that day. I felt like our hearts were intertwined. I felt as if we were one being, one person, one heart, one life, one love. I need her! And I'm sure, deep down, she needs me too._

_What does this "Jackson" have anyway? He's not good-looking, he's not funny. Sure, he's "sweet," but what does that really have to do with anything? Please, Lilly, don't tell me you're going to fall for his little show. I don't know why she would rather have him than me. _

_But what really ticks me off is the fact that Jackson told Lilly about what he saw. How dare he defy me like that! Maybe I should just kill him now, release some of this anger I have bottled up. Screw Lilly. Screw loving her, wanting her, needing her. I'm sure killing poor little Jackson will be plenty to help me make it through the week. _

_No. Stop, Mitchel. You need Lilly, and through him is the only way to get her. Get a hold of yourself. _

_Hold on. Phone call. That was my mom. She said she was out at a club with some guy named Rich and wasn't gonna be home until tomorrow. Sometimes I think I've become such a sadistic person because of her. And "Teddy." Teddy was my old dad. I don't think I've ever mentioned him in here. There's a reason for that, believe me. He was one of those abusive-type fathers that only came home to screw my mom, drink all the alcohol he could find in the house, and then take everything he felt out on me. The last few years of my life have been the worst I've ever had to face. But now he's long gone, to who-knows-where, messing up someone else's life. Thank God for that. _

_Alright, Jackson's making too much noise. I'm gonna have to go tighten those ropes around him. Later._

_Mitchel._

**

* * *

****Another day, another diray entry. Another new person's perspective of the whole deal. So now you have a bit of background on our dear friend Mitchel. Hope it helped shed some light on the current situation. **

**"No more than has already been shed, sir."**

**Sorry. She's the Man quote. I watched it last night. I love that movie. **

**"How come when I wanted to date Yunis everyone made fun of me? But now Sebastian likes her and suddenly she's cool? Screw you guys, I hate high school."**

**I love that. hahahaha. Okay, well, review please! hehe.**


	18. How Did This Happen?

**Wow. i think this is like, the last chapter. And the longest one Ive written for this story. cooliosness. I htink i might do one final diary entry, but thats it. i hope you enjoy this. I know I enjoyed writing it.**

* * *

"SHUT UP ALREADY!" Mitchel shouted at the closed closet door. Thumping noises and muffled screams sounded from within. Having had quite enough of the ruckus, he went over to the door and banged on it. Silence fell for a moment, but, almost as suddenly as they had gone, the thumping and screaming sounds returned, as if magnified. Mitchel flung the door open, his face contorted with anger. Jackson was curled up in a corner of the closet, his arms and legs tied tightly together with thick ropes. In his mouth was what appeared to be a dirty washrag.

It looked as if Jackson had just come out of a fight: he had scratches and bruises on his head and arms from trying to break free of the ropes tightly bound against him. At the sight of Mitchel, he fell silent at once, staring up at Mitchel with wide eyes.

"What do you think you're doing?" Mitchel asked, his voice low and dangerous. Jackson shook his head, having no other means of communication. "Didn't I tell you to keep quiet?" Jackson shook his head again. "If you don't shut up, I'll kill you right here. Got it?" Jackson nodded. "Good." A distorted smile spread across Mitchel's face as he closed the door again, leaving Jackson in darkness.

_How did this happen?_ Jackson thought to himself as he closed his eyes. He opened them again. It made no difference; it was pitch-black in that closet. As he sat there, he wondered what Lilly was doing that minute. _Does she even know where I am? Has she even noticed I'm not there? What about Miley? She must have realized I wasn't home when she came back. She would have asked Lilly if she knew where I was, wouldn't she? They'd be worried, then they'd find the note, and come and look for me! Wouldn't they?_ A sickening lurch in Jackson's stomach said that they would probably be better off without him.

* * *

"Lilly, shouldn't we come up with some sort of plan? This really isn't a good idea… Lilly! Lilly, wait!" Miley cried, hurrying after her friend. They were striding up Maple Street, in search of the address listed on the note from Jackson. "Lilly, stop," she said, tugging on Lilly's arm. She stopped, rounding on Miley.

"What? Miley, don't you want to know where your brother is? Don't you care that Mitchel could be torturing him right now?" Lilly asked.

"Yes, Lilly, of course I want to know, and of course I care! But Lilly… We're lost. We don't know where this," she glanced down at the slip of paper she was clutching, "Maple Street is! I want to find my brother, but I don't think this is the way to go about it. And besides, do we know what we're going to do once we actually find Mitchel's house?"

"Miley, I'm scared, okay?" Lilly confessed. "I'm scared for you, I'm scared for Jackson, and I'm scared for myself. Mitchel's got something terrible planned, I know he does. Someone's going to get hurt here, Miley. And that sucks, because everyone involved is someone I love. Well, besides Mitchel."

"Oh, Lilly," Miley sighed. "I know you're scared. I'm scared, too. You're my best friend, and Jackson's my only brother. I love you both, and I would never be able to go on if something happened to either of you. But we need to have something figured out. We can't just go barging into Mitchel's house, screaming for Jackson, now can we? We need a plan."

"But Miley, we don't know what Mitchel's going to do once we get there. He could be on the other side of the door holding a gun for all we know! The only plan we need is to get Jackson and get out alive. If something needs to be… exchanged… for his safety, I'm willing to make that sacrifice," Lilly said quietly, avoiding Miley's eye.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait," Miley said, shaking her head. "You're not saying…? You would actually…? No way, Lilly! You're not actually thinking of continuing your relationship with Mitchel to save Jackson?! There will be another way. I would never let you do something like that to yourself."

"Miley, I have to-"

"No," Miley cut her off, "you don't have to do anything! Just listen to me, okay? We'll save both you and Jackson from Mitchel, alright? Everyone will be okay."

Lilly nodded, remaining silent. Apparently, she didn't want to make any promises too soon.

"Alright, then," Miley went on. "Where are we?" She looked around for street signs. "Maple Street. Okay, I was here once for a birthday party. I think we go left up here…"

Lilly followed her. _Coming on foot wasn't such a good idea, after all_, she thought. Miley had told her she didn't think the place was too far away, and it would be much easier on foot than on bicycles. She was just beginning to lose faith, when Miley shouted,

"Here it is! Marble Street!" She was pointing down a long, somewhat desolate street lined with tiny, shabby houses. Almost all of the front lawns were bare, with yellowed, forgotten grass and overflowing trash cans by the street. The road was cracked and covered in potholes. This place was about as neglected as it got.

Lilly stared. "Wow. Are you sure this is where he said he lived?" It was such a change from the clean, polished houses of Marble Street.

Miley checked the note again. "Yep. 108 Marble Street. Looks like this one is…" she looked at the house next to them, "…100. So it shouldn't be far up the road." Four houses over, Mitchel's tiny shack of a house stood before them, almost identical to the other house son the street. The only difference was the absence of overflowing trash cans by the street.

"Oh my God…" Lilly breathed. "I never thought he lived like this. That first day… He seemed so… together. Next thing we'll find out is that has an abusive father and a mother that's never home," Lilly joked. Miley didn't laugh. Instead, she was thinking about her brother, and what Mitchel could be doing to him that moment.

"So, are we going in?" Miley asked. "Or…?"

Lilly hesitated. She didn't have a clue what to do. "Well… All I want is to find Jackson and make sure he's okay. Let's…. Let's go around the back and see if there's any window. We don't want to barge in through the front door. We don't want Mitchel to know we're here."

Miley nodded. "Let's go."

They crept around the side of the house, searching for windows on their way. When they had come around to the back of the house, they saw a screen door leading into what appeared to be a kitchen. The two girls exchanged glances and tiptoed toward it. Lilly reached it first. She silently slid it open, then looked back to Miley before creeping into the house.

They stopped short. The inside of Mitchel's home was absolutely nothing like the outside. The kitchen was bright and clean, with polished counters and a small, wooden table in the center of the room. It was painted a light tan color, and the tiled floor was spotless. It seemed to shine before their eyes. Miley and Lilly stared at the room, pondering why the outside and inside differed so greatly. Maybe it was that Mitchel's mother was actually caring, and cleaned the house when she was home. Perhaps it was simply that Mitchel had too much time on his hands, and cleaned up himself.

A sudden shout made the girls snap out of their trance and look around. The house only had one floor, so they didn't have to sneak around for too long before they found the room in which Jackson was being hidden. They knew it was this room because the shouts got louder and louder as they approached it. They stood outside the door, thinking of what they should do, when all of a sudden, the door flew open, and Mitchel appeared in the doorway. Lilly and Miley quickly ducked into the room across from Mitchel, and hid behind the open door. It was a bathroom. Like the kitchen, it was spotless, and smelled like fresh flowers.

Miley and Lilly watched through the crack in the door as Mitchel made his way to the kitchen. Miley and Lilly took this chance to sneak into Mitchel's room. They peered around as they entered. Surprisingly, this room was much dirtier than the others in the house. Putting that fact in the back of their minds, they focused on the task at hand: finding Jackson. It wasn't really difficult: the shouts were coming from one place: Mitchel's closet. Lilly reached the door first. She tore it open and gasped.

There was Jackson, bound, gagged, and very beaten up. He had newly formed bruises on his face and arms, his clothes were ripped, and he had cuts all over. Apparently, he wasn't being a very cooperative hostage.

"Jackson!" Miley shouted. Lilly hit her in the arm.

"Shhh!" she whispered. "Oh, Jackson," Lilly said softly, kneeling down and looking into Jackson's face. She removed the rag from his mouth.

"You found me," Jackson whispered, his small smile looking somewhat pained.

"Of course we did. Do you think we were just gonna sit at home and wait for you to figure this out yourself?" Lilly said softly, stroking Jackson's chin. "Jackson… I need you to know, just in case anything happens to one of us, I-"

But whatever Lilly was about to say was silenced, because heavy footsteps were making their way back towards the room.

"Mitchel," Lilly breathed instead.

"Hurry! Hide!" Jackson whispered, closing the closet door. Miley and Lilly nodded and glanced around the room. They decided to crawl under the bed and hide there. They dropped down to their stomachs and slid under the bed just as Mitchel appeared in the doorway. Lilly thought she saw Mitchel's eyes follow her foot as she pulled it close to her, but then he appeared to have thought he imagined it and went over to the closet. He threw open the door and let out a low growl.

"What is this doing out of your mouth?" he said in a low, dangerous voice. Lilly silently smacked her head. _The rag_, she mouthed. Miley looked horrified. Lilly stifled a gasp as she heard more thumping noises. Mitchel backed out of the closet. There was no weapon in his hands. Either he stowed it in the closet, or Mitchel was beating Jackson with his bare hands. "Don't… move…" Mitchel said to Jackson as he walked toward the door. Just as he was about to pass over the threshold, he stopped. He glanced toward the closet, then the bed. Lilly and Miley held their breath. With a second thought, Mitchel left the room again.

Lilly and Miley exhaled loudly. They returned their gaze to the closet, which was left open. Just as she took her eyes off the closet, a hand came from nowhere and grabbed a fistful of Lilly's blonde hair. The hand pulled her out from under the bed. Miley dangled from her hair in Mitchel's other hand, her face horrorstruck, an expression that was mirrored on Lilly's face.

"So… You thought you could sneak around MY house, trying to rescue MY hostage, then hide under MY bed, and think I wouldn't know what you're up to?" Mitchel said, looking at Miley and Lilly in turn. "No, no, no, ladies. No one gets away from this house until I get what I want." He dropped Miley. She landed on the floor with a thud. Then his gaze fell on Lilly. "You. All I want… is you," he said, his eyes locked on Lilly's. She looked away, but he grabbed her face with his free hand, forcing her to look at him. "You stay with me, I let your friends go free," Mitchel went on, turning away from her and gesturing to Miley and Jackson. Miley looked up at her, shook her head once, then looked away again. "You try to resist… Well, let's just say your little pals won't be doing so well. So, my dearest Lilly, what will it be? Are you prepared to save your friends and return to me?" He was staring at her again with those piercing eyes. She looked down at Miley and over at Jackson, both of whom were shaking their heads in protest. Then she looked back up at Mitchel. His mouth was open and his tongue was hanging slightly out. His eyes were fierce and his lips were tightened in a dangerous sneer. He wasn't a man… He was a monster.

Then she looked back at her friends. _What would he do to them if I said no?_ She thought. _I can't see them hurt. And besides, I agreed to this already. I would do what I had to. It's not like he's going to hurt me… He loves me._ Suddenly, she realized something. _He loves me. He won't do anything to me, because he doesn't want to see me hurt. At least I have that._

She took a breath. "I'll do it," she whispered, her voice cracking. Miley gasped.

"NO!" Jackson screamed from his place in the closet. Lilly looked over to him. She tried to communicate with her eyes. Maybe even use telepathy. _I have to do this_, she though as hard as she could._ It's for your own good. You have to be safe. I have to do this._ It didn't seem to be working. Jackson looked at her desperately, as if pleading for her to change her mind. She gave a small shake of her head and turned back to Mitchel, who was chuckling softly.

"I knew you wouldn't refuse," he said softly, releasing her hair and grabbing her by the arms instead. He pulled her closer to him and put his hands on her waist. Lilly looked up at him. For the first time since they entered the house, she was scared for herself. She was scared of how long her 'relationship' with this psychopath would have to go on. And when he gets tired of, her, then what? Will her kill her? Will her friends still want her? Will they never forgive her for what she's gotten herself into? Will Jackson still care for her the way he does now? What will happen to the lonesome, forgotten Lilly?

"Now, my darling. Kiss me," Mitchel said, leaning in towards Lilly. She hated herself for doing this, but she met his lips and shared a long kiss with him. All the passion came from Mitchel; Lilly felt nothing. Nothing but hate, rage, and despair. When the kiss was over, Lilly looked into Mitchel's eyes. They were softer now, yes, but they were greedier than she had ever seen them. He was incapable of loving anyone fully. He didn't love her, he just wanted her. He needed her. And that scared Lilly more than anything else.

Lilly glanced back at Jackson. Tears were dripping down his face. Lilly wondered if he knew that she was doing this for him. As she watched him, tears were beginning to form in her eyes as well, and she wiped them away as she turned back to Mitchel.

"Okay, Mitchel. I said I'd come back to you, and I kissed you, now please, just… Just let them go," Lilly pleaded with him. He looked down at her and smiled. His smile scared her. There was malice in the corners of his lips. She drew back a few inches.

"I could… Or I could kill them anyway," Mitchel said, and in one swift motion, Miley was in his hands again, held by her hair, a knife to her neck. Lilly gasped. She hadn't even seen Mitchel take out the weapon. She started forward, but Mitchel help up his other hand. "Stop," he commanded, "or she dies." Lilly stopped dead in her tracks.

"Mitchel… please… What are you trying to do? You got what you wanted, didn't you? What will you gain by killing them?" Lilly pleaded quietly, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

Mitchel let out a long, malicious laugh. Lilly and Miley exchanged terrified looks. "I suppose you're right, Lilly. I will gain absolutely nothing from killing this pathetic girl." With that said, he dropped Miley back onto the floor. She landed with a thud. Lilly watched, tears streaming down her face.

"She's not pathetic," Lilly said quietly.

"Excuse me?" Mitchel asked, now focusing his gaze on her.

"She's not pathetic!" Lilly repeated, much louder this time.

"So you say," Mitchel replied evenly. He looked from Miley to Lilly and back again. "I suppose she is sort of pretty. I could use a girl like her." He leaned down to her and took her hand. He pulled her to her feet and surveyed her. "Hm… Not as magnificent as you, Lilly, but she has something going for her." He pulled Miley close and said, "Let's see if there's any real magic here," then kissed her full on the mouth. Miley tried to protest, but she wasn't as strong as Mitchel was. When they broke apart, Miley wiped her mouth and gagged, clearly repulsed with what had just happened.

Mitchel's expression was unreadable. "Eh," was all he said.

"STOP!" Lilly suddenly shouted. "Just stop. Mitchel, yous aid you wanted me. Only me. Why are you doing this to Miley? She doesn't deserve this. Please, Mitchel… You can do whatever you want to me, just… Just let Miley and Jackson go…" she pleaded desperately.

"I suppose you're right. I did make a deal with you, and you've agreed to the terms. I guess I should hold up my end… Alright!" Mitchel announced to the room. "You two," he pointed to Miley and Jackson, who was still tied up in the closet, "may go. As for you, Lilly…" He turned to face her again. "Well, let's just say I have plans for us. I won't talk about it just yet, but believe me, you'll love it." He smiled at her and kissed her lips before walking over to the closet. Once over there, he bent down low to where Jackson was huddled on the floor.

"Well, your little girlfriend's bailed you out, just as I hoped she would. Oh, I'm going to have fun with her, my friend. If you only knew what I have planned…" He spoke softly so that the girls couldn't hear him. "You never should have told her what I was doing, Jackson. Maybe then you wouldn't be tied up here. Maybe then you'd be at home, with Lilly in your arms instead of mine. I guess that's one thing I have to thank you for. You practically handed Lilly over to me. Without you, without your stupidity, or your inability to follow orders, I would never have had reason to hold you captive in hopes of getting Lilly back. But then again, she never would have broken up with me in the first place if she didn't know about my… issues. So I would still have either way. I guess it's sort of a win-win situation for me, isn't it?" Mitchel laughed wickedly. He began to untie Jackson, but before he did, his face grew serious and he whispered, "You even think about pulling anything on your way out of here, Lilly will get hurt. I know you still care about her, and I know you would die for her. But don't make her die for you." With that, Mitchel untied the rest of Jackson's ropes and removed the gag from his mouth. Mitchel took him by the arm and led him back into the room. Jackson allowed himself to be pulled forward.

"Oh my God… Jackson," Miley whispered. She made to hug him, but Mitchel held up a hand. There will be time for that later," he said. "Now you both must leave. Jackson will tell you the consequences if anything goes wrong. Or if anyone finds out what's been going on here," Mitchel stared at Jackson, and then at Lilly, and then back at Jackson. Jackson nodded.

"Jackson…" Lilly breathed. She didn't move; she simply looked at him. She tried communicating with her mind again. _I love you, Jackson! That's what I was trying to say before. I love you. And I don't want anything to happen to you. I could never let that happen. Especially not at my expense. I need you to know Jackson… You mean the world to me. I love you. _She was staring at him and thinking those words as hard as she could, and after what seemed like forever, but couldn't have been more than a few seconds, she thought she header him say, _It's okay, Lilly. I love you, too._

A small smile crept across Lilly's lips as she looked at Jackson. He wasn't smiling, but Lilly thought it was merely because Mitchel was watching him intently. She then thought she saw Jackson's eyes dart to his pocket and back to her face. She looked at him, puzzled. She watched Jackson's eyes dart to his pocket and back to her face again. She studied his pocket for a second, then thought she could see something sticking out from within it. _What was that? It looked like a… pen_, she thought. _But what could I do with a pen?_ She looked back to Jackson for guidance, and he was now looking from his pocket to her to Mitchel. It only took her a second to comprehend what he was saying. She stepped closer to them, going up to Mitchel and putting an arm around him affectionately. She knew what to do.

"You know, Mitchel. I think you're right," she said. Mitchel spun around to face her, a look of confusion on his face. "I really would be better off with you than with these low-lives." She looked at Jackson. He gave the slightest nod. She then looked at Miley, whose expression was a mix of confusion, surprise, and hurt. Lilly hardly acknowledged her. She knew Mitchel was watching her.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes. Really. You said you can take me places I've never been, show me things I've never seen, make me feel better than I have in a long time. I want to go places with you. I want to see things with you. And I was to feel with you, Mitchel." She pressed herself up against him and looked into his eyes. Mitchel hadn't let go of Jackson, so it was up to Lilly to take him down. She reached around Mitchel toward Jackson. Jackson tried to move closer to her without Mitchel noticing. "Oh, Mitchel…" Lilly continued. "You and I would be so great together. I'm finally realizing it now. We would be so... perfect. We could do… fantastic things. I want you to take me away, Mitchel. Do what you want with me. I'm happy to oblige. I think I'm finally realizing that I need you as much as you need me. I long for you in the same way you long for me. That's what makes us so perfect for each other. We were made for one another."

Her hand was inches from his pocket. She reached a little further and her fingers closed around the ballpoint pen. She slowly retracted her hand from Jackson's pocket and brought it to Mitchel's side. "Oh, Mitchel… I…" She brought the pen up behind his head. She acted like she was leaning in to kiss him, and, as she had hoped, he closed his eyes. In one swift movement, she brought the pen around to his face and forced it, and hard as she could, into one of his closed eyes. All at once, Mitchel let out a shriek of pain and fell to the ground. Lilly rushed toward the door, taking Miley's hand on the way. Jackson hesitated, then kicked Mitchel's quivering body as hard as he could before rushing after the girls. Together, they sprinted down the hall and out the back door. They didn't stop running until they were three blocks away and Mitchel's screams were long gone. All three of them collapsed on the sidewalk.

Miley was the first to speak. "Wow," she panted. Lilly looked up at her. "And I thought you were actually falling in love with him. I mean, I thought you were crazy, but I never… I never suspected… Wow."

Lilly laughed, holding the stitch in her side. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but I thought that would look a little suspicious." Miley laughed.

"Yeah, well, at least we all got out alive," Jackson said. The other two nodded.

"That was so smart of you, Jackson. To think of that. I never would have come up with that kind of plan," Lilly said to him. He smiled at the compliment.

"It was sort of impulsive to take the pen. It was the one I used to write that note. I would have done something earlier, but I mean, he had a gun. I would have rather waited until a time when we could all get away then die for nothing and have him come after you guys anyway," Jackson replied.

"Well, it was very smart of you, Jackson," Miley said. "I can't believe I just said that…" The other two laughed.

"Can we go home now?" Lilly asked, getting up.

"Ah… Home," Miley said. "I miss that place." She started to get up too, then stopped. "Jackson… Are we going to tell Dad about this?" She looked inquiringly at her brother.

"Erm… I don't think it's necessary, no… I don't wanna freak him out, you know?"

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Miley replied.

"I'm not planning on telling my parents, either. I'll just have to warn them not to let in any tall, dark, and handsome guys with eye patches," Lilly said, laughing. The other two joined in as they made their way back home.

Once they reached the Stewarts' home, Lilly and Jackson relaxed on the couch in the family room while Miley made them all some dinner.

"So…" Lilly began. "I was wondering… Did you happen to get any… oh, I don't know, telepathy calls while we were back there?" She looked up at him hopefully.

He looked off into space for a moment before turning back to her. "You know, I thought I heard someone saying something when Mitchel was holding me. You know, right before you shoved the pen in his eye. But I'm not really sure," he said, shrugging. "Why?"

"Well… This is going to sound really stupid, but I was trying to… communicate with you. I tried it twice, but I don't think it worked the first time." She looked down at her hands in embarrassment.

Jackson lifted her chin up and met her eyes. "Maybe we just have a special connection between us that allows us to… communicate telepathically…" he said, smiling.

Lilly smiled back. "Maybe."

"What were you trying to tell me?" Jackson asked her.

"Well, the first time was when I agreed to be Mitchel's little slave girl. When you were looking at me all despairingly. I was trying to tell you it was for your own good. But I don't think you got it."

"No… not really." Jackson laughed. "What about the second time? The time I almost heard you?"

"Well…" Lilly said, looking down again, then returning her gaze to Jackson's perfect face. "I was trying to tell you that… No matter what happens… I would always love you." _Wow, I didn't even blush_, she thought, smiling. Jackson looked at her meaningfully.

"I love you, too," he said softly. "I'm so sorry I've never said anything. I've loved you since-"

"-since the first time you laid eyes on me," Lilly finished for him. Jackson looked puzzled. "I read your diary." She smiled.

"Journal. It's a journal. Not a diary," Jackson corrected her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. _Journal_," Lilly said, laughing. She looked into his eyes, and her laughter died away. They slowly moved toward each other. Their lips were just inches away, when-

"You guys! Dinner's ready!" Miley's voice called form the kitchen. Lilly sighed.

"Come on," Jackson said, taking her hand and leading her into the kitchen, where Miley was waiting with three plates of spaghetti. Miley noticed their interlaced fingers and smiled.

"So are you guys together or what?" Miley asked. Jackson and Lilly exchanged a glance and smiled, nodding. "Well it's about time! God, I thought you guys were never gonna tell each other how you felt! You've been flirting for years-"

"Miley," Lilly interrupted.

"Yeah?"

"I think that's enough."

"Oh. Right. Sorry. Well, I'm happy for you." She smiled.

"Thanks," Lilly and Jackson said together. They took places next to each other at the table and began to eat.

* * *

After dinner, the trio went out on the back porch to look at the stars and chat some more. They called Oliver and he came over as well. They didn't think they should tell him about the day's events quite yet, so they avoided the subject of Mitchel. When they sat down on the deck, Miley noticed a small piece of white paper laying on one of the tables. She went over to it and picked it up.

"What's that?" Lilly asked, walking over to her. Miley shook her head, remaining silent. Lilly took the paper from her hand and read it aloud.

"_Dear friends, I know you think I'm gone, but I'm not. I know you think I'm prepared to leave you alone, but I'm not. I know you think you're safe, but you're not. I'm watching you. I will always be watching you. M._" She looked at Jackson, and then at Miley. Both of their mouths were hanging wide open. Their eyes were wide in shock and fright. She dropped the paper and fell into a nearby chair. The silence was deafening. He could be anywhere. He could be in the house. He could be at Lilly's. He's going to kill us… Lilly thought frantically. Suddenly, the silence was broken by a familiar voice.

"Who's M?" Oliver asked, picking up the paper.

* * *

**Oh my God. the story's like, ALMOST over! Thats so sad! But now I can write another one! Oh, i have this amazing idea, its gonna b soo funny. So look for it. I might call it "What A Drag" if that gives you any hints. I got the title from a BMW episode. hahahaha. Im excited. Now review!**


	19. THE END

**EGAD! It's like, the last chapter. Im so sad. I love this story. Personally, i thought it was one of the best I've written. haha. Now if you liked this, be sure to read the fic Im gonna write next entitled "What a Drag." Its nothing like this, but... oh well. haha. A BMWep gave me the idea, so if you know what I'm talkng about, you should have an idea what the story's gonna be about. Alrighty, then. Enjoy the chapter. **

* * *

_Yo._

_My friends are weird. They got this letter last night. I don't know who it was from. They wouldn't tell me. They just said it was something serious and something scary. I don't know why they wouldn't tell me. I mean, come on, I'm one of their best friends! I'll have to find out on my own, I suppose. Super sleuth Oliver Oken is on the case. The case of the mysterious letter-writer that is. My first plan of action? To make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Yeah…_

_

* * *

_

_Dear Diary,_

_Oh. My. God. Mitchel's back. He's actually back! I feel so bad for poor Lilly. And Jackson, too. They finally confess their love for each other and a psycho's hunting them down wanting to – I don't even wanna think about it – to Lilly. Like, wow. Talk about bad luck, huh? I hope they're both gonna be alright. And he knows who I am now, too! I hope I'm gonna be alright… Oh my God. I had to kiss the freak! That's right. I had to kiss him. It was… the absolute worst thing I've ever had to do in my entire life. Like, seriously. I almost threw up! But I feel bad for Lilly. Who knows how many times he's kissed her? Oh, wow. And to think, she actually liked him at one point. I guess that whole "don't judge a book by its super sexy cover" thing comes into play here. Wow._

_

* * *

_

_Dear Frank,_

_One word: Mitchel. Wait one more: EVIL. Oh my God, Frank, you will NEVER guess what happened. Last night, Lilly was over, and we got this note from Mitchel. Yeah, we all thought he was long gone, but then he just turned up again! Not like, in the flesh or anything, but through the power of the pen. Or pencil, I don't know which one he used. But that's really not the point here. The point is, the night Lilly and I finally tell each other our feelings (You hear that? She likes me too! I've been waiting for so long to write that down here) we find out we're being watched and could die any second. How's that for an E! True Hollywood Story? I'm sort of scared, Frank. I mean, I know I'm supposed to be the manly man of this place, but still. I'm freaking out. (Hm, I hope Lilly doesn't get into this again. I think I should invest in some sort of lock…) Anyway, Mitchel's a scary guy. He almost killed me and Miley. And Lilly, come to think of it. He just… He's got some issues. I just hope Lilly gets out of this all right. I mean, if anything were to happen to her… I'd blame myself. I just couldn't take that._

* * *

_Dear Diary,_

_I don't even know what to say. About a billion things are running through my head right now, but I can't put one of them onto paper. Well, I can say this: Me and Jackson are officially together! Too bad it might not last. And it's all because of one person. Yep. You guessed it. The one, the only, Mitchel. Mitchel, who threatened my life more than once. Mitchel, who almost killed my boyfriend and my best friend. Mitchel, who I thought was this amazing guy that really cared about me, but all he really wanted was… well, I don't wanna think about that. Mitchel's a really messed up guy, and I really wish I had never met him. I still can't believe how much I liked him! I was looking back at some old entries, and I actually scared myself with how strongly I wrote about him. What ever happened to the days where Jackson was all I could think about? Jackson, who's been there all along. Jackson, who's never threatened my life, and who has always cared about me so deeply. Jackson, who I have always loved, and who I know loves me. Jackson would never do anything to hurt me. Why couldn't I just be happy with watching him from afar and inconspicuously crushing on him? I knew he was safe. I knew he wouldn't murder me in the middle of the night. Why couldn't I just be happy with him? Sure, I probably never would've been able to tell him about my feelings, but at least my life wouldn't be in danger! Why can't I just be happy with that? Ugh… My life is so over… Literally._

_

* * *

_

_Saturday_

_So I dropped off the note. And I've been watching them ever since. I can tell you this: They're scared. Scared to death. I'm just waiting for the right moment to pounce. They'll all see to quite an unhappy end…_

_All I have to do is watch… and wait._

* * *

**BUM BUM BUM!!! How was that for an ending? MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! No. haha. I am going to write a sequel, though. once I'm done with What A Drag. I can't do two stories at once. Sorry. Id either get too caught up in one and not update the other in like, a year. Or, I would have mixed ideas about them both then get confused and end up writing the ending to one story how the other one should be. So that's not happening. haha. Well, as usual, review, please. Or not. Or so. Or not. Or so. You know what? How about you just review and please everyone? Or at least me, you know... haha. Okay, im gonna shut up now. Hope you liked my story. **


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